Surprise! A Third High School Story
by Harry Potter Fan 1994
Summary: The notsosurprising surprise triquel to Yeah, Another High School Story! Contains full summary inside, as well as summaries of the first two stories, for new readers. The last one, I promise! RxSF, slight BBxR, CxB, SxWW, AxA, KFxJ and more...
1. Chapter 1: The Surprise

Haha this isn't a ONE SHOT...like I said...lol.

Anyways, some refreshers...**Yeah, Another High School Story:** Kori Anders and Richard Grayson hate each other, from the very start when they accidentally kiss at the beginning of the year, when Kori is new. The reasoning for this is that Richard believes Kori is just like his old girlfriend, Babs Gordon, who cheated on him with his best friend, Xavier Redd, the year before. They meet each other through a series of pranks, which eventually become playful in nature. Xavier asks Kori to a dance at Wayne Manor, Richard's home, and there he gets drunk, taking Kori into a bedroom, where Richard saves her. Afterwards, their feelings are confused, especially with Kitten Moth, Kori's "friend", who's constantly after Richard. Richard's friends, particularly Vic, the cybernetic genius, hack into the school's computers to make Kori and Richard share a cabin for the school ski trip, which lasts three days. Richard tries to make Kori not go, but she starts a food fight which leads them to the office of Principal Slade Wilson, which does not go well. During that time, they meet Xavier's cousin, Steven Redd, and Richard gets very overprotective. Kori also learns about Babs here. Kitten pushes Richard off a cliff on accident, and Kori saves his life. After that, they agree to be friends. But when they go home, Kori finds that her parents have died in an airplane crash. She runs to Richard's house, because his parents have also passed away, and their friendship grows into something more, which is official by the end of the story. However, Koma, Kori's sister, wants the fortune which their dead mother left Kori, because Koma thinks it is unfair, and is willing to hurt Kori to get to it. Kori knocks Koma out, and together she and Richard hide her treasure in Wayne Manor so Koma leaves without it, and Kori moves into Wayne Manor so that her uncle Galfore and his family can move into her house.

**Everyone Loves A High School Story: **Kory, Richard, and all their friends go and spend time by the beach for the summer, but meet up with Xavier and Babs and some of their friends. Steven is there too, which only increases the tension between Richard and Kori. Through a bunch of fights and dates-gone-wrong, Richard breaks up with Kori because he thinks he won't hurt her anymore that way. Kori moves back with Galfore, although they are tight on space. Vic and Karen, two of their friends, also break up, but the rest of the couples remain together. Richard begins to date Babs, but they break up after Kori develops a horrible fever and he realizes he cares too much for Kori. But when he asks her to date him again, she refuses. She also begins to doubt Richard's friends, sure they only cared at all about her because she was Richard's girlfriend. And the story picks up here...

**Surprise! A Third High School Story:** Kori and Richard both think their lives couldn't get worse during senior year, but they meet up again. And why does Kori have a feeling that she's never alone...and not in the good way?

Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned below...

* * *

"Can you tell me a good-night story?" Suneta asked hopefully. Kori sighed. 

"Suni, it is nearly ten o'clock, and we have school tomorrow. Please go to sleep," Kori moaned. Suneta tugged at the sleeve of Kori's pajamas.

"Please Kori?"

"Suni." Kori sat up in her twin-sized bed, right next to the younger girl's. "Galfore will be angry."

Suneta frowned. "You are no fun anymore, Kori. Why don't you ever do things like this anymore?" she pouted. Kori's heart would have sunk, but it couldn't go any lower. Not since the summer. "Please, Kori?"

Kori pulled Suneta up on to her bed. "Fine. I'll tell you a story. What do you want it to be about?"

"A princess," Suneta mumbled, snuggling into Kori's embrace. Kori rolled her eyes, expecting this.

"Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess in a faraway land. She lived in a big castle with beautiful gardens, and huge rooms, and...and one day she met a handsome prince..." Kori sighed wistfully. Usually, Suni was asleep by this time, but not today.

"Did they get married?" she asked, yawning.

"Of course. They always do...in fairytales." Suni agreed, nodding off as she did so. Gently, Kori lifted her up and laid her in the other bed, tucking her in. "Goodnight. Sleep tight." She went back and snuggled into her own bed, unable to fall asleep.

Two months. She couldn't believe it had already been that long since she'd last spoken with Richard. Actually spoken with him, not the dreams or daydreams of him. Not even in the hallways did they ever turn and look at each other. And her two classes with him were nightmares. Good thing one of them was science, she could space out the entire class and Mr. Plasmus wouldn't care. He slept the whole time. And he sat away from her, too, was a relief. She couldn't handle much more around him.

It had also been two months since she'd said more than "Hello" to Karen, Vic, Gar, Rachel, Roy, Alan, Wally, Angelina, and Donna. Jenny, understandably, was torn between her best friend and her boyfriend, but Kori urged her to spend all the time with Wally that she could. At lunchtimes, she and Terra were always together, more often than not with Kitten. But she wanted nothing to do with Richard at all, and it hadn't been hard for her to separate from people who didn't care about her anyway.

Staring at the walls of the tiny room, Kori was reminded of the huge, open spaces of Wayne Manor, where she hadn't been a bother at all, where Bruce Wayne and Alfred had been almost like family to her, where she knew and was friends with everyone, where Richard was. Her squeezed her eyes shut in shame. She shouldn't be thinking about them. So what if she'd never felt more at home? It wasn't her home. She wasn't welcome there, and she should have known.

With a groan, Kori buried her face in her pillow, attempting to squash old memories. But she couldn't help it. Those six months were the only times she could remember when she had on a genuine smile all the time. She tried now, but it wasn't the same. It made her look like she was in pain.

That's funny, because she was.

Eventually, Kori drifted off to sweet dreamland, where there were no problems, just her and Richard and the beautiful sunset.

* * *

"Dick? Dick..." Richard knew that voice anywhere. He opened his bleary eyes, smiling as he saw the familiar red hair, and green eyes..."Good morning, sleepyhead! My gosh, Dick, I've been trying to wake you up for fifteen minutes! I got up at like, five o'clock so I could come here and ride in your limo to school!" His smile turned upside-down. Kori never called him 'Dick.' He dismissed it. 

"Sorry, Kori. Five more minutes, okay?" he groaned.

_SLAP!_ He was fully awake now. "OMG! I can't believe you! That's the third time you called me Kori! And my name is _MANDY!_" she screeched. Richard recoiled in fear of being scratched by her perfectly manicured nails. The supposedly red hair turned blonde, and her green eyes dulled to hazel as his sleepiness wore off. Richard swore.

"Well, my bad. Why don't you get a guy who cares? Just get away from me," he growled. Mandy gasped.

"Are you...breaking up with me?"

"You're a quick one," Richard muttered dryly. "Now get out before I call security." She screamed and stomped all the way to the door, and Richard felt a curious prick of satisfaction. But there was no time to dwell on it, he was going to be late to school.

The minute school had started for the year, the news had spread like fire (probably from Gar) that Richard Grayson was now single. Kitten wannabes he hadn't noticed before now flocked from places he hadn't known existed. He was followed almost constantly by a giggling troupe of girls who would not leave no matter what he did. And he didn't want them to.

The only thing that ever gave him pleasure anymore was breaking up. He enjoyed seeing them scream and cry at him, yelling about how unfair he was. Kori had never done that. She and he had never broken up properly. But he was making up for it now, with all these stupid girlfriends of his. They should _all_ know how much it hurt. But they still didn't give up. Most of his "relationships" didn't last over a day, but he could still remember faces. And he was seeing the same faces in his posse, but hadn't gotten around to dating the same girl twice yet. He probably wouldn't until the middle of the year.

His friends thought he was becoming quite the playboy, but they never said a thing. Whenever he had a different girl latched on to his elbow at lunch, they only regarded her with a cool civility. Towards the beginning of the year, they'd shake their heads pathetically, as if they thought he was trying to replace Kori.

He hadn't talked to her since he'd tried to reconcile things between them. As far as he knew, she didn't talk to his friends either. Apparently, Jenny had tried to tell her that she'd misspoken, that they really did, but the pink-haired girl had said it was too awkward to mention Richard around Kori. He accepted it. He felt the same way.

"Hey, Dick. How's it going?" Vic asked, attempting to be cheerful. He and Karen still hadn't gotten together again, and his misery was showing, at least to the guys.

Richard smirked. "Would you believe it? Mandy, you remember her? From yesterday? Woke me up to ride to school in the limo." His smile grew wider. "And then she yelled at me for breaking up with her. Like it was my fault."

Vic shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah. Heh." Vic probably wasn't about to say that it was.

* * *

So...haha I had a whole lot of fun reading the reviews, because I had this planned the whole time but I didn't know how to respond without giving something away! Just so you know, this is going to get a lot more dramatic.

There were just WAY too many loose ends (and I'm not talking about RxK's relationship) and I figured I'd have to make it a trilogy anyway, so why not just keep Richard and Kori apart? But yeah, expect to see characters you haven't heard from since the first story...


	2. Chapter 2: The Filler

Sorry I took so long to update! I didn't have any time...

And another apology to lil love fan, whose name I somehow forgot to put in the big long list at the end of ELAHSS.

I am SO happy with the number of reviews this got! I would put you all up here, but I'm getting late, and I gotta go. But thank you!

Language warning!

Disclaimer: I don't own TT

* * *

"There should be no sounds of shuffling papers! I don't care if it is three minutes to the bell, it is I who dismiss you, not some irritating, ringing _object_!" Professor Chang screamed from his place atop a dangerously swaying pile of books. Their math teacher was so short, he couldn't see over his podium on his own. Kori hadn't even moved, unlike the rest of her anxious classmates who were eager for lunch. Even lunch seemed as long as a class to Kori. She barely spoke a word outside Galfore's home anymore.

"A reminder to you all! School began three weeks ago today, and, by order of Principal Wilson, the homework rule is in full effect. Therefore, you are all to do pages thirty-three through fifty-two in your calculus books. Due tomorrow! Don't finish it, and it's--" He was cut off by the bell and the sound of thirty-some students rushing out the door. "I said, the bell does not dismiss you...oh, forget it." Kori alone was left gathering her books and things, which she hadn't done while the teacher was talking. Oh no, she wasn't alone; Richard was at the other side of the room, hurrying to get out as well. Just her and him...and Professor Chang.

"Dick!" cried an annoyingly high-pitched voice outside the classoom. One of Richard's many girlfriends, no doubt, waiting for him. Kori felt a sharp pain go through what was left of her heart. "Hurry up!"

"I'm coming, Cass, hold on," Richard answered. Kori thought she detected a twinge of exasperation in his voice, but maybe it was just her hope. He stumbled over chairs and leftover books and pencils on his way out, but didn't throw Kori even one backward glance.

What did she expect? She'd turned him down over the summer. This was _her_ fault. Sure, he'd broken up with her in the first place, and sure, he'd dated Babs and that had agonized her to no end, but he'd tried to reconcile things. And she hadn't given him a chance. If he'd moved on...with his huge entourage of preppy, Kitten-like girls...who was she to stop him? It had been like this since the beginning of the year, all the cold shouldering. Why should today have been any different?

"Did you need something, Miss Anders?" Chang hissed at her. Kori shook her head, snapping out of her reverie, and continued on to lunch.

* * *

Richard could feel Kori's eyes on the back of his head, and fought the urge to shiver. Why did she care? Wasn't she supposed to hate him? Then _why_ couldn't she let this goddamn thing go? Didn't she know it was killing him?

"Hey Gar, Vic, Rachel. Where's Karen?" he asked upon reaching their lockers, some blonde or other batting her eyelashes off to his side. Vic suddenly became very interested in the contents of his locker, but Rachel just pointed to the girl's bathroom. "Fine then. Treat me to lunch?"

"Of course, sir. Would you like slop and cheese, or murdered animal on stale bread?" asked Gar with a sweeping bow.

"Good question, it's a tough choice. Which one is the least fatal?"

Whoever the girl was gave a shrieking laugh. "OMG, Dick, you are SO funny!"

Gar slammed his locker door. "Wow. Usually _I'm_ the one killing it." He grabbed Rachel's arm and stalked off into the lunchroom. Richard watched them go, startled. His friends had never actually _shown_ their dislike of the girls trailing him all the time, though Richard knew it was there. Vic's head appeared out of his locker.

"You wanna...?"

"Hold that thought," Richard growled. He turned to the girl. Cass. That was her name. He'd remembered it in math by chance. "Listen. You're annoying, and stupid, and I really don't like you. At all. So leave." Short and simple. It would take her exactly three seconds to comprehend what was going on.

3...2...1...

"Are you breaking up with me?!" she screeched. Right on time.

"Yeah."

"No one breaks up with me!"

"Probably because no one wants to date you in the first place," he sneered. She huffed, flipped her hair, and crossed her arms, tapping her foot on the floor. She waited. "What?"

"I'm waiting for you to ask me back out, because you're obviously tempi...tempa..."

"Temporarily?"

"Yeah! Tempo-rarely crazy! So do it, and maybe I'll forgive you!"

"Girl, just leave and save yourself the humiliation," Vic advised. That, and a little more firmness on Richard's part finally got her thundering away in her bright pink, six inch heels. "I know I was a part of it, but Dick, man, that was harsh." Richard just shrugged, smirking a bit at Cass's anger. Maybe that bit of fun would hold him over until he got another girl. He shuddered. Getting together was the worst part. "Let's go. Now." Karen was coming out of the bathroom.

He rushed to catch up with Vic, thinking. "You think Gar's mad?"

"Why?"

"Come on, Vic, didn't you hear him?"

"Yeah, but..." Vic trailed off, obviously very uncomfortable with their manly-girl-talk. "We just miss having Kori around, is all. See you."

* * *

Again, sorry. I really have to leave, and I know I forgot a ton, but I'll adress it next chapter. Bye! 


	3. Chapter 3: The Nightmare

ARGH! I hate this computer, it keeps deleting my documents and now I have to rush through this! GRRR!

Disclaimer: I don't own TT

* * *

_She was in what looked like a warehouse, with dim lights and bare floors. It was nighttime, that much she knew by the one window. But other than that, she could tell nothing. Why was she here? She had a purpose, something that she couldn't quite grasp, but knew was there. She walked forward, into the center of the gigantic room._

_Slowly, the steps illuminated themselves inside her mind. She knew where to stop, and exactly how long to wait. Five seconds. Then a soft, dark voice, one she knew, but couldn't quite place, asked, "Have you prepared?"_

_Her voice sounded different. Like she had a cold, except it wasn't stuffy, it was just lower. "Not yet...there were delays."_

_There was a silence from the voice. She wanted to look around, to see where it had come from, but something restrained her. "What kind of delays?"_

_"Money," she mumbled. "I was running short."_

_The voice took on a colder tone. "Spend out of turn one more time, and you will be punished." She shivered, knowing the voice, whoever it was, was not joking. "Go now. Remember, I always hold to my word..."_

_"Yes, master," Kori said, bending her head down in shame. She walked out, her long hair swishing behind her. It had been raining outside, and she caught her reflection in a puddle. Gasping, she realized she was not Kori at all. _

_She didn't feel anything, nothing at all, but once she saw the blood fly from her back, she knew she had been stabbed. She fell to the ground, probably dying, but the pain wasn't there. A person stood above her. She could not make out anything, except that he was a man, yet she knew that the voice belonged to him. "You know too much. You shouldn't have seen yourself." The knife was in his hand, covered in her blood. He rose it up again, and her piercing scream filled the night._

"Kori, Kori, shh!" Galfore whispered urgently. There was no need to do so. Every family member had been awakened. Kori still screamed as she woke, realizing a few seconds later that there was no more harm. Her two oldest cousins were crying silently, clinging onto their parents. Kori shook with fear.

"Richard...where is he?" she whimpered. Galfore and his wife exchanged looks, but a furious pounding sounded on the front door. Kori curled up into a ball, sure it was the man from her dream, after her. The entire family went downstairs, the children unwilling to leave their parents and be alone with her. Not a minute later, Richard darted into her room, embracing her tightly, and it was all she could do not to hang on to him for dear life.

"Are you okay, Kori?" he asked softly. She just nodded, not surprised at all that he'd gotten here somehow. He always seemed to know when she needed him most.

Galfore and his wife wisely stayed away from the room, but Suneta came toddling back, once she saw that all was calm. "Who are you?" she asked, pointing a pudgy finger at Richard. He grinned.

"My name's Dick Grayson, and you?"

She stared at him for a moment, and Kori mentally thanked Suneta for not being the kind of little girl who goes, "Ooh, are you her _boyfriend_?" Kori couldn't take that right now. "Suni," Suneta replied. She yawned and immediately crawled into her bed to sleep.

Richard turned to her. "Tell me."

She did, the whole, horrible nightmare. She left out what she had seen in the puddle, though. She hadn't wanted to think about that. But with Richard here, she felt so much safer. He gripped her arm firmly as she spoke, and listened intently. "It was just...real. It seemed real."

"I know," he said. "But it isn't. You have to remember that." He stroked her cheek gently, and Kori was almost sure he would kiss her right then and there. Goodness knows she wouldn't have minded. But he didn't. "Sleep, Kori. I'll stay until you do, I promise."

Kori gulped and nodded, her hand weaving itself into Richard's. She leaned back, closed her eyes, and tried to push away the images of that dream assaulting her mind. The only thing that gave her any comfort was that fact that Richard was there, and that he hadn't moved at all.

* * *

Another _perfect_ day at school. Just wonderful. How many girls had come up and asked him out, when they found out his relationship with what's-her-face was over? Gar was still ticked off, and Rachel had silently taken her boyfriend's side. It was happening again, this fight. All because of Kori. But they didn't understand, no one did.

As if by a miracle, Richard managed to make it home to Wayne Manor without being pestered by more than five girls to ride on the motorbike with him. He was looking forward to the peace of the Manor, and a warm meal from Alfred. It was already the middle of autumn, and sharp winds chilled him as he sped home. He was so tired...maybe he'd actually have a nice, calm, eight-hour sleep tonight.

"'Evening, Al," Richard greeted lazily as he entered the house.

"Good evening, Master Dick." Alfred called from the kitchen. He carried a plate of food out and set it on the table, which Richard dug into ravenously.

"Thanks," he muttered halfway through, embarrassed. Alfred gave a small smile and left.

After three hours of struggling to focus on his homework, Richard had completed a sufficient amount and gave it up for the day. He was exhausted, but that was what came from not sleeping right for weeks. His head fell forward on to the math book and he dozed off right then and there.

_Richard...where is he?_ Richard awoke with a start, the voice repeating itself over and over in his head. Where was he? This wasn't his room. But he looked down at the math book and remembered. It was now four full hours after he'd fallen asleep, and no one had woken him. Grumbling about sore necks and backs in the morning, Richard slammed his book shut. Then came the voice again, from nowhere and everywhere at once.

_Richard...where is he? _Familiar and sweet...then it came to him. And his heart sank, but not of it's own accord. Something was very, very wrong. With Kori.

It took less than five minutes for him to get to Galfore's house, and he pounded on the door, forgetting that no working man and woman with ids would probably be up at this hour. But the door opened anyway, and Richard didn't take time to exchange pleasentaries. He galloped up the stairs, two at a time, until he reached Kori's room. She was curled in a ball on her bed, staring at him fearfully. Dried tear tracks covered her cheeks, and she was shaking.

He embraced her at once, murmuring soothing words in her ear until she calmed down. A little brunette girl, possibly six or seven, was staring at them when he let go. "Who are you?" she asked.

He grinned at her. She was probably one of the cousins Kori had spoken about before this whole mess. Funnily enough, he'd never met them. They'd come from Tamaran, Kori's homeland, about three weeks before he and his friends had gone on that vacation that ultimately ended his relationship with Kori.

"My name's Dick Grayson, and you?" The girl studied him for a moment.

"Suni," she answered finally. Then she plopped down headfirst on her bed, snoring.

Richard turned back to Kori, who had a ghost of a smile on her face at the exchange. "Tell me," he prodded.

He was surprised to find that it had only been a nightmare, but didn't show it. He might have gotten used to them, after having them almost every night. "He...the man, the one the voice belonged to, he stabbed my...me, Richard." Richard had the feeling she was hiding something from him, but didn't voice it. She was upset enough. "It was just...real. It seemed real."

"I know." He went through the same experience all the time. "But it isn't. You've got to remember that." Kori nodded solemnly, and Richard guessed she had, like him, noticed that their faces were mere inches apart. He scooted back. "Sleep, Kori. I'll stay here until you do, I promise."

Kori did as she was told, out within minutes. Richard's own fatigue from earlier returned. It was time to go. He bade good-bye to a confused and exasperated Galfore and his equally confused and exasperated wife before stumbling on to his motorcycle and riding home to Wayne Manor.

_So...what's going to happen between me and Kori, now? _The question hit him out of the blue. At the time, he hadn't been thinking about anything but helping Kori when she needed him. But he knew this would have to be answered before school tomorrow, however much he didn't want to think about it. He sighed. _I think...I think I can handle being friends with her, _he thought resignedly. It was like announcing his own death sentence.

_At least, I hope I can.

* * *

_Again, sorry for the short chapter, but I have to go...again. I seriously hate this computer... 


	4. Chapter 4: The Truce

Thank you to **jcyz, Alien Emerald, milkshakelvr, Xx-Clueless-Dummii-xX, TerraBB4Eva, mysteree101, final frost bite fantasy, Crimson Black, RobinxStarfireLuvr, lil love fan, Kory Anders Grayson, Royal Blue, BerryDrops, cartoonstar, cartoonfire, ChristianAndGatorGal, so not telling, RavenSis, Nightstar Grayson, XxNightfirexX, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, writer-not-a-fighter, RobStarfire, DinoGoesRawr, BeautiiQueen, **and** shattered-hearts-602 **for reviewing up until now!

Also, to **Ann **the anon. reviewer, thanks for reviewing! And it was nice to hear from you :) haha, we can only hope that Dick will come to his senses soon...given that he has any, of course.

And to **jksdfhklnl** (took me forever to get that right, lol) I'm really sorry, but this is going to be the last one...and believe me, by the time you're done with it, it'll be MORE than enough. I'm alreay sick of it, and I haven't written more than four chapters, haha. Thanks for reviewing, though!

And thank you to **jcyz** for the computer advice, haha, I told you I'd mention it, wouldn't I? But yeah, a couple of bangs, and a couple steps towards the window, it worked great!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned below...although it would be nice to own Wayne Manor...

* * *

"Hey." Kori whirled around, startled, when she heard the voice behind her. The books she'd been putting in her locker dropped from her hand, and scattered all over the hallway. She breathed a sigh of relief to see that it was Richard, she'd thought it was that man from her dreams. 

_In school, Kori? No way._

_Wait a sec, Richard's here! _She tensed again.

"Hi." Awkward silence.

"Listen..." Richard was very interested in the floor pattern, so it seemed. "Um, the guys and I...well, girls, too, I just kinda meant them, you know, but...the guys and I would really like it if you decided to come and hang out with us again tonight." He looked up at her for the first time. "It's Friday, so...unless you have something else to do, we could all stay at the Manor for a little while."

Kori didn't know what to say. "I don't think I do..."

His face brightened. "Great. Then we'll see you, Kor." The two just noticed Kori's books, which many people had been tripping over the whole time. Blushing for no apparent reason, Kori bent down and collected them, not noticing Richard trying to help until their heads collided and the books went flying again.

"Ouch." Kori now nursed a rather large bruise on her forehead. Richard had a hard skull...

"Sorry." He grinned and stood up, helping her up as well before bending down and grabbing the fallen books and handing them to her.

"Thank you," Kori said softly, not sure whether it was meant for the invitation or the help.

"No problem." Kori smiled back at him.

"DICK! OMG I've been looking all OVER for you!" squealed a very scantily clad brunette. It was winter, she had to be freezing, but she had on the tiniest mini-skirt Kori had ever seen and a tank top that scooped far too low. She shrieked a laugh and wrapped her arms around Richard's waist. He grimaced, but didn't say a word.

Kori turned back to her locker. "You should probably go."

"Yeah," Richard grunted as he pried the brunette off of him. "See you."

He walked fast, but Kori could still hear the girl's shouts of "ARE YOU CHEATING ON ME WITH HER?!?" from fifty feet away.

* * *

Richard hoped against hope he hadn't messed things up with Kori that morning. Stupid Miranda/Kelsy/Alicia, whatever her name was. Couldn't leave him alone for _two seconds_... 

But hopefully, Kori'd come to the Manor tonight, and they'd make up...at least, to the extent that they could.

Seven o'clock crawled around, and Gar, Rachel, Vic and Karen arrived. Richard just nodded them into the living room, eagerly awaiting Kori's arrival. At ten after seven, her knock finally sounded, and he nearly knocked down the door trying to get it open. "Sorry I'm late," Kori apologized. "I had to wait for Galfore and his wife to get home, you know, so I could leave the kids."

"It's okay. Come on in, everyone else is here." Kori walked into the room, and looked around, frowning slightly.

"But where is..."

"Who?"

"The girl from earlier, what was her name?"

Richard chuckled. "Her? Don't worry about her. This is strictly us, she's not going to bother anyone here." He added under his breath, "Especially not me." Was it just him, or did Kori looked pleased?

"What about...Babs?"

"She went with her mom on a business trip. Whole family's gone for a while."

"Oh."

"Sit down, girl, stay awhile!" Karen beckoned. "We haven't talked to you for ages! Maybe tomorrow we can go out on a shopping spree? You and me, I mean, forget these guys and Rachel. They're no fun at all," she grumbled. Rachel rolled her eyes at her, but Gar and Vic were too busy having a thumb war to notice.

"Maybe," Kori answered hesitantly. She sat down on an armchair away from everyone else.

"Hey, guys, we got a new foosball table in the game room, if you wanna go," Richard interrupted. Karen glared at him. "And I set up the projector so you can watch your chick flick, Karen," he sighed.

"Great! Kori, do you...?"

Kori shifted in her made-for-Bruce-not-a-high-school-girl-in-other-words-too-big armchair. "Sure." He'd never heard her this reluctant to do anything girly with Karen, and obviously, Vic's ex was just as puzzled. But they kept it to themselves.

"Kori, let's pick out a movie that won't brainwash us, shall we?" Rachel said, snapping her book shut. This left poor Richard even more confused. Rachel never participated in _anything_. What was going on with his friends today?

Kori left with Rachel, and they came back fifteen minutes later from Bruce's large video collection with _Mean Girls_ in hand. "That never gets old!" Karen cried gleefully. "Don't you just _love_ what's-his-name, the main guy? I can't remember for the life of me, but he is _so_ fine!"

"He is!" Kori agreed. And now she'd changed personalities again. Richard decided it was best to ignore it, he was far too confused about the mess, but what was Kori's deal? One minute she was cold to everyone, and the next they're chatting it up like they've known each other for their whole lives...

Rachel groaned. "Kori, you missed the _not brainwashing_ part, I'm assuming."

Kori just giggled and shook her head. "It's not brainwashing at all, Rachel! And it's so funny!"

Richard cleared his throat. "Let's just leave now, shall we?"

He sat through one hour and forty-some minutes of Gar whacking his foosball players in the wrong direction, occasionally sneaking glances at the screen and shaking his head at Kori and Karen drooling over the guy that Lindsay Lohan was supposed to get. By the end, though, Karen and Rachel were fast asleep, and Vic and Gar had just conked out on the floor. It was nearly ten o'clock, and everyone had had a long day. Fridays always seemed to be the longest school days to get through.

Kori was carefully extracating herself from under Karen and Rachel, trying not to wake them up. Richard walked over and helped her, holding their heads apart in a rather awkward position. "Thanks."

"Sure. How's that bruise?"

"Better," Kori giggled. "Better than my ski-lift one was."

"Oh yeah, that one scared me, thought you'd get knocked down the hill."

"Come on, Richard, you were laughing at me!"

"That was before you got hit!"

"Yeah...but I fell down enough trying to ski, so one extra bump didn't matter." Richard chuckled. "I...I should head home, Galfore will be worried. Do you want me to take any of them?"

"Nah, they'll be fine here. I'll see you later, then." He really, _really_ wanted to hug her good-bye, but was sure that was stepping out of his line. Kori just smiled and waved, finding her way to the front door without his help. She knew this place like the back of her hand, she'd lived in it for six months. _I wish she still did..._

But he had a bigger dilemma at the moment. He had to wake Vic, Karen, Gar, and (he shuddered) Rachel. This was not going to be fun.

* * *

A happy-ish chapter again! Actually, the last one didn't count, it had blood in it... 

I think there'll be one more happy-ish chapter before the REAL drama starts...I bet NONE of you are expecting it!


	5. Chapter 5: The Date

Thank you to **milkshakelvr, Nightstar Grayson, Alien Emerald, FairieAngelx3o, RavenSis, so not telling, RobinxStarfireLuvr, XxNightfirexX, final frost bite fantasy, jcyz, Royal Blue, Xx-Clueless-Dummii-xX, lil love fan, BerryDrops, TerraBB4Eva, cartoonstar, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, **and **cartoonfire** for reviewing the last chapter! Whoa, I think almost all of you guys have reviewed every chapter of this story so far! Thanks so much, it means a lot!

Disclaimer: I don't own TT or Mean Girls

* * *

It felt so wonderful to have her friends back, even if she and Richard weren't together. Kori went home with a smile on her face that night, something Galfore commented that he hadn't seen in a while.

_Flashback_

_"Sit down, girl, stay awhile!" Karen beckoned at the get together they had at Wayne Manor. "We haven't talked to you in ages! Maybe tomorrow we can go out on a shopping spree? You and me, I mean, forget these guys and Rachel. They're no fun at all," she grumbled. Rachel rolled her eyes at Karen, but Gar and Vic were too busy having a thumb war to notice. _Just like old times_, Kori thought wistfully, but she caught herself. It was not like old times at all. She'd been ignorant back then, but she knew now. These people didn't care, Jenny had told her. They were just pretending._

_"Maybe." She sat away from them, in a giant armchair, giving one-word answers whenever asked a quesiton by someone other than Richard._

_"Kori, let's pick out a movie that won't brainwash us, shall we?" Rachel asked, snapping her book shut. Kori bit her lip, unwilling to go out of Richard's sight, but nodded. They walked down the hall towards the game room, which held a shelf that took up an entire wall full of DVDs. "You know your way around this place by heart," Rachel observed. Kori shrugged, running her finger over the spines of all the cases, looking for an 'un-brainwashing' one, as Rachel wished for. "Kori?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"Usually you're just like Karen, I don't remember you being...shy, for lack of a better word." Kori forced herself not to retort. If they wanted to play pretend, she could, too._

_"I didn't notice." That came out way colder than she expected it to._

_Rachel frowned at her. "What's your problem?"_

_Kori grabbed a DVD and started to head back. "I don't have one." Rachel grabbed her arm and turned her around._

_"Listen, Kori. If you want to act like we don't matter to you, that's fine. We didn't need to stay up the entire night on our vacation to make sure you were okay, but we did, because we all care about you. We didn't need to--"_

_"You didn't, or don't you remember? Jenny was the only one that cared that I was sick at all!" Kori hissed back._

_Rachle smirked. "Jenny. Is. A. Bad. Liar. She just didn't want you to get all worked up over Dick getting worried, so she didn't say anything. I can't believe she still hasn't. It was all of us, Kori, every single one of us. Even Babs." Kori was stunned into silence. She'd felt so betrayed this entire time, and it was only because of her friend's incapibility to tell the truth. Wow._

_"What'd you get?"_

_Kori glanced down at the DVD in her hand. "Mean Girls."_

_Rachel's eyes narrowed. "No. Put it back." A slow smile spread across Kori's face. _

_"But it's not brainwashing! There's math involved!" she protested, slipping by Rachel. "And you'll like Janice or whatever her name is! The Gothic one!"_

_"Yeah. Great," Rachel muttered, following her back. She wasn't going to risk getting lost in here._

_End Flashback_

She couldn't get the fact that Babs had been there too, after all that had passed between them at the end of their vacation. She felt horrible for treating Babs that way, and made it a point to apologize to her after she came back from her business trip thing.

But as the school week resumed, everything took a steady turn downhill.

Kori had come to hate lunch. Lunch was when she sat with Richard and Rachel and Gar and Karen and Vic, but also with Richard's assortment of girlfriends. Almost everyday, the same sequence repeated itself. Kori and Richard talked. His girlfriend got jealous. She was all over him. Kori was trying not to show she cared. Everyone else was breathing fire. Karen would be breathing twice as much fire as everyone else if she happened to be sitting next to Vic. And again the next day.

Right after lunch, Kori was always miserable. But she had Science, so it didn't matter what she did, because Mr. Plasmus was always snoring at his desk. Richard was in this class, but his girlfriend of the day usually wasn't.

Science, Health, and home, Kori assured herself. Just two hours left. And then she had the whole weekend to herself.

"Hey, Kori. You recognize this?" Richard dangled a vial of bright green and (as Kori remembered) very explosive liquid in front of her face near the end of class. She took a step back and grinned.

"Yes. Swatted any flies lately?" He grinned back at her.

"One or two, but _they_ didn't explode all over me, so I assumed they weren't in with you."

Kori laughed just as the bell rang, lifted her things, and left. She had health with Rachel, which was quite a relief. She wouldn't have to talk if she didn't want to.

Only, today, Rachel had something else planned. "Listen, Kori. Vic wants my help to get back together with Karen. I'm not good at this. Can you help?" Rachel pleaded. "He wanted to ask you, too, but you were sitting by Karen and he didn't want her to overhear. She likes surprises. He wants to surprise her. And it has to be good, because she's still really sore over him supposedly cheating on her over the summer with that Sara girl."

"Really?" Kori asked, intrigued. She thought for a minute and smiled. "I know just what to do..." And she outlined her plan to Rachel.

* * *

"Ew! I am SO not eating steak! Even if it's takeout!" Gar yelled. Rachel slapped the back of his head. 

"It's stakeout, idiot. You're going to spy on Vic and Karen to make sure everything goes right."

"Ohh...can I bring my video camera? You know, just a little blackmail in case...?" he asked, grinning evilly.

Rachel sighed. "If you must. Keep an eye on him, and make sure everything is going smoothly, will you, Dick?"

Richard saluted her, grinning. "Sure thing, boss."

This was going to be fun.

Kori, Rachel, and a blissfully ignorant Karen went to Karen's house after school, to do 'makeovers'. Richard and Gar followed, and they were to hide in a closet or something. At least, until Vic arrived at seven o'clock. Then they would follow him and Karen out if she (hopefully) said yes, and keep an eye on their date, and maybe provide a distraction if the two started fighting. Only, Vic didn't know they were following.

Richard was stuffed in a closet, now, with a very squirrelly Gar, while Kori carefully applied makeup to Karen's face. Rachel sat a few feet away, vowing not to touch anything or be touched by anything. "There. A little eyeshadow here should do it. Now your hair!"

"No, Kori, let me do you first!" Karen protested. Kori cast a worried glance at the clock. From what Richard could see through where the door met the wall, it was six thirty.

"Okay."

"Dick, move over, your foot is crushing my hand!" Gar whispered furiously.

"Yeah? Deal! _Your_ feet are in places that I don't even want to talk about!"

"Dude, how are we supposed to get out of here?"

"We still have a good thirty minutes."

Gar whimpered.

"Kori? Rachel? Do you hear something? It sounded like whispering!" Karen said worriedly. "I think it's coming from the closet!"

"Let me check," Rachel said. She opened the door and planted herself in front of them so Karen couldn't see, and gave them a terrifying death glare. Then she closed it. "Nope, there's nothing there. Probably the wind outside. It's autumn, it's supposed to be really windy."

"Yeah, I guess..." Richard and Gar stayed completely still for the next five minutes, while Karen finished up Kori's makeup. Richard strained to see what she was doing, but Kori wasn't facing him. "Tada!" Karen wheeled Kori around in the desk chair she was sitting in so Rachel could see her, and Richard caught a glance.

He inhaled sharply. "She looks beautiful."

Gar grunted. "Now is so not the time, Dick. Maybe you should've thought of that before you broke up with her." Richard stayed silent. "Dick?" He didn't answer, just glanced around at Karen's closet, anywhere but at Gar. "I'm sorry...I guess...I don't really know."

"Whatever, Gar, just shut up, they'll hear us."

"There it was again!" Karen cried.

"Karen. Relax," comforted Kori. "It's alright. Now let me do your hair, please?" Another fifteen minutes of agony. "It looks beautiful! Can you wear the dress?"

"Why?"

"Just for kicks, Karen," Rachel droned. "This is a makeover, right?"

Karen was definitely suspicious, but she went in the bathroom and tried it on. When she came back out, it was five minutes to seven. "How do I look?" Her dress was the same one from when she'd worn it on the ski trip last year, Richard noticed. He had no idea how he remembered that. It was bright yellow, with sparkly cloth that had to hurt if it kept chafing her on the seams. But Karen didn't seem to mind.

"Gorgeous!" Kori squealed. "Wear the shoes, and then we'll take a picture. Then you can take it off." Kori was trying to stall as long as possible.

"Alright. But then we're eating dinner, and then you have to go through the same thing, Kori. You too, Rachel, if I feel vindictive." Karen strapped on the golden, high heeled shoes, and clasped a necklace and earrings onto her ears. "Where's the camera?"

The doorbell rang.

"Thank goodness," Gar moaned softly.

"Who's that?" Karen asked.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Kori and Rachel led Karen downstairs, and Richard and Gar stumbled out of the closet, stretching their aching muscles.

"Man, Vic had better not mess this up, or I'll kill him. That was almost so not worth it."

Richard walked out, carefully creeping down the stairs and heading to the back door. He heard Karen's shriek of surprise when the door opened to reveal a tuxedo'd Vic holding a bouquet of flowers. "There's a nice restuarant downtown, Karen, you want to come with me?" he asked nervously. Richard waited with bated breath to see if she would accept. That was his cue to run to his car. Gar bumped into him.

"S-sure." Kori clapped and laughed while, Richard assumed, Vic took Karen by the arm into his car. He sprinted. His car was a safe enough distance away so that Vic and Karen wouldn't know he was there. He knew the restaurant Vic was taking her to, and he also knew a shortcut to it. He and Gar tumbled into the Mercedes, and they were off.

Gar slipped on a hat, trenchcoat, and sunglasses as his disguise, and Richard reluctantly did the same at the first red light. They couldn't risk being seen by Vic and Karen once they got there. "Gar, put the collar down," Richard instructed.

"No! I wanna look like that detective guy, what's his name?"

"Sherlock Holmes?"

"That's it!"

"Gar, I'm sure he didn't wear his trenchcoat like this all the time, especially not when he was undercover, people would know it was him!" Richard protested. Gar refused, arguing that if Karen and Vic would think he and Richard were Sherlock Holmes and his identical twin, they had no problems. Richard saw no point in answering.

It was a five minute ride, and Richard hastily pocketed his keys, not bothering with valet parking. He hurried inside _The White Rose. _"Table for two, under 'Wayne,'" he said gruffly, hoping Vic and Karen weren't arriving anytime soon. The lady stared at him and Gar, used to seeing couples. Or maybe they were a couple. She didn't know.

"Very well, right this way." Richard didn't stop to take in the beautiful settings, but pulled Gar along behind him. The little guy was in awe.

Not even a minute later, Vic and Karen were led to the table beside them. "Vic...this is beautiful. Why...?"

"Because you mean a lot to me, Bee. I know...I messed up real bad over the summer, but I realize that you..." Vic was struggling with the lines Kori had fed him, and it was hilarious. Gar mocked him under his breath.

"But I realize that you're the only one for me, honey-bun," he cooed. Richard shut him up with a swift kick to the shin, but was trying not to laugh himself.

"Oh, Vic, stop trying to be romantic, you know that's my job," Karen scoffed. Vic grinned.

"You know me too well, Bee." And they kissed. Richard and Gar turned away, gagging.

"It does _not _look that gross when I'm kissing Rachel!" Gar complained.

"Uh, yeah it does. You two were making out on my _hotel bed_, I had to have the sheets burned!" Richard retorted.

Gar stuck his tongue out at him. "Yeah, like you and Kori were any better!" His eyes widened, and he clapped a hand over his mouth when he realized what he just said. Fortunately, the waitress arrived at that moment.

"I'll have a water," Richard muttered.

"Me too." The waitress turned to Vic and Karen, who surprisingly enough had not noticed Richard and Gar bicker. Then she left to get the drinks, returning in a few minutes to take their orders. The wait was thirty minutes, and Vic suddenly got up as she left again.

"A-are y-you p-p-proposing?" Karen asked fearfully.

Vic roared with laughter. "No, not yet anyway. I was gonna ask you to dance." He gestured to the tiny, off to the side dance floor that Richard hadn't been paying enough attention to notice. Karen breathed a sigh of relief and followed him there. The two of them slowdanced on the edge of the couples on the floor, so Richard and Gar could see them. A live band was playing soft music near the wall, the kind of music that, if he had a date other than Kori, Richard would wish never existed. Karen laid her head on Vic's broad shoulder, whispering something to him that Richard couldn't hear. _I should take Kori here sometime, _he thought absently. Then he stopped. He wasn't dating Kori anymore. Right.

The meal was good, but between Gar's slips and his own thoughts, Richard was still wallowing in his own misery by the end. He'd barely touched anything. As he pushed away the dessert, though, he thought he heard a very loud 'NOW!' from Karen. An ice-cold water was upturned on his head without him noticing. Gar squealed like a little girl as the same happened to him, jumping out of his chair and running around the room in an atempt to...Richard wasn't even sure. In five minutes, half the staff of the restaurant was trying to catch him. Vic and Karen were laughing their heads off, even wiping tears out of their eyes.

"That was good," Karen giggled, high-fiving Vic.

"How did you know?" Richard asked, shaking the water out of his hair.

"I figured it out while we were o the dance floor. You were staring, and you always get that spaced-out look whenever you think about...oh no, Gar's going to get kicked out of here!" Karen said worriedly. Richard was glad she didn't finish her sentence.

It was true. Two burly waiters held Gar down while he struggled and kicked. He was still howling, too. Richard knew Gar was unrestrained, but normally even he could pin him down in two seconds flat. Then, as Gar kept trying to reach for his back, he understood. Ice had slipped down the collar of his trenchcoat, possibly into his pants, too. Richard, however, who'd kept his collar down, had no ice slip inside. "I told him..." he said in amusement.

Gar was eventually kicked out of the restaurant, and Richard with him. Waving a hasty goodbye to Karen and Vic, they left the two unsupervised on their date with no doubts that they would be fine. The couple would probably be too busy laughing at Gar to fight, anyway.

"I told you--"

"Save it, Dick. I think I got ice burns...ahh...Darn! I forgot to videotape them!"

They drove to Karen's home first to report a success to Kori and Rachel, but this time, Richard did not restrain himself when he hugged Kori goodnight. It was the least he deserved, after being stuck in a closet for an hour.

* * *

A little bit of a longer chapter, I guess...did you know a synonym for sad is 'lugubrious'? Isn't that a fun word? 

In case you guys didn't know by now, my restuarants will almost ALWAYS be The White Rose. I made it up in the sequel to Saturday School and it kinda stuck, for the formal ones, anyway.


	6. Chapter 6: The Attack

Warning: Gore. You have been gore-warned.

Sorry, I couldn't resist.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

Peace and quiet on a Saturday evening. 

Kori had become used to being alone, in those few weeks she'd gone through after the summer. She wasn't ready to give it up all that quickly. Sure, she'd been an outgoing person before, and she still was, mostly, but she'd come to enjoy time spent by herself, just to think or relax. It was easier to relax before she'd had her friends back, not that she was complaining, but she was unusually out of habit at picking up phone calls. If Karen or Rachel had called before, she normally wouldn't have bothered interrupting whatever she was doing. Now, she was nearly frazzled by the amount of calls she was getting from all of her friends.

Her friends had promised not to call her over the weekend, unless it was something important. Karen and Vic were catching up (at least, that was what Karen had told her, and Kori didn't want to push for more information), Roy, Alan, Wally, Gar, Rachel, and Jenny were all at the arcade (although the girls had gone rather reluctantly, because Wally complained he needed real competition, and Jenny agreed to kick his butt in air hockey), Angelina was at a friend's house to sleep over (the friend was actually Collette, the girl who'd been Karen's cabin buddy on the ski trip last year), and Kori didn't even want to know where Richard was (and she was trying not to dwell on the fact that it was probably a date).

But it was different, now. She knew she was invited to almost all of those places. Well, she wouldn't want to tag along on Karen and Vic's date, that was for sure, and definitely not on Richard's, but the others were open. They weren't leaving her out at all. But she'd politely declined all offers to go anywhere. It was Kori time.

She'd spent some time with Galfore's family in the morning, but now the whole family had gone to watch a movie. Kori didn't catch the name of it, but the description hadn't sounded all that good, so she stayed home.

The TV had been blaring for a good half hour when Kori heard it. She knew all the sounds of this house 'settling,' and this was not one of them. It was louder than the drone of the heater, the occasional thump of the furnace, or the ticking of the clock. Almost like...something was _moving_.

She turned off the TV and sat quietly for a minute. The whole house was pitch-black without the light from the television. She heard it again. A rustling. "Who's there?" Kori called out apprehensively. No one answered. Obviously, it was not Galfore back from the theater. "Hello?"

Upon receiving no answer, Kori got up and edged towards the phone. "Is there anyone here?" She heard the rustling again, only it was louder. Frantically, she glanced around, searching for a source, and she saw a shadow hiding in a crevice between a bookcase and a wall. It was about as tall as a human.

Kori broke out into a run for the phone.

She didn't make it.

* * *

Richard was bored. Really, really bored. So bored, he almost considered calling his girlfriend over. If only he could remember her name...he was sure he had her phone number around somewhere, but then, he had the phone numbers of nearly a quarter of the girls in his grade.

Many times that day, he'd wanted to call and see what his friends were doing. Kri had hinted very heavily over the week about wanting to be alone on the weekend. It was too bad, she was the first person he'd now go to for company. Karen and Vic were on a date. The rest of them were at an arcade_. Maybe I should..._

_No. I am never, ever, ever going to an arcade with Gar and his stupid quarters again. It cost me a DDR match_, he grumbled to himself. His thoughts turned back to Kori. How did _she _keep herself busy when she was alone? Especially when there was nothing to watch on TV except something about gossipping girls? Maybe that was what was keeping her busy...

The weather was nice. A little bit blustery, but not too bad. On days like this, he would've taken his motorcycle over to Kori's house and...

His motorcycle! Richard rushed off the couch and into the garage, flinging open the door only to see all of Bruce's expensive cars and a single, dusty, ragged looking bike beside them. His face paled.

He walked to it slowly, unable to believe he'd let his precious 'R-cycle' fall into such disrepair. He'd been so upset over his breakup with Kori, he'd never rode it since then. It was funny how he connected material things to their relationship. The five pictures she'd left in her room of them, sure, of course they would remind him of their relationship. But his _motorcycle_? He'd had it long before he'd even met her.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered to his not-so-precious-looking-anymore bike. Great, now he was talking to inanimate objects.

He must be _really_ bored.

Richard could write his name in the thick layer of dust that covered the bike. It took fifteen minutes to dust it off, and get all the dust out of the nooks and crannies. And then he saw that the bike needed a huge polishing job. He'd do as much as he could, for the moment, but there were scratches on the sides that he hadn't remembered being there before. Though one, he noted, was probably because he was still getting used to driving a bulky car, and hadn't parked it in the garage all that well. The car had an identical scratch in the paint.

Richard was working on his finishing touches, with most of the bike gleaming as though it was only a week or two out of the shop, when the thought first hit him. _I should see Kori_.

But it was ridiculous. Kori didn't want to see anyone over the weekend, she'd made that clear.

It became more urgent. _I NEED to see Kori._

He opened the garage and swung his leg over the bike, planting his helmet on his head and roaring off the driveway as the engine came alive for the first time in weeks.

Richard had almost forgotten how wonderful it felt to ride a motorcycle, with the cold, sharp wind on all sides and blurs of color that weren't darkened by shaded windows. Like he was flying, or running at tremendous speeds without getting tired.

The ride ended all too soon when he arrived at Kori's home, but the house looked so dark and ominous that he didn't even notice his disappointment. Something was wrong. He barged up to the door and pounded on it, but it didn't open. No one was home. Still, the feeling wouldn't go away.

"Kori?" he called, looking through a window.

He found her.

Lying as though dead in a pool of her own blood, Kori stared up at the ceiling of her living room with glassy, unfocused eyes. Stab marks covered her entire body.

* * *

Drama enough for you all? 

Should I change the rating? I swear it doesn't get any worse than that...


	7. Chapter 7: The Hospital

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans

* * *

Kori was awake, she knew she was awake, but her eyes really didn't feel like opening. She groaned and tried to go back to sleep, but suddenly realized there was something gripping her hand rather tightly. Against her will, she opened her bleary eyes to see Richard. 

"Kori? Can you hear me?" he asked softly. His voice was hoarse, his face was paler than she'd ever seen it, and he looked ready to have a panic attack. His grip on her hand loosened, but he didn't let go. "It's me, Dick."

"I know," she responded shakily. He visibly relaxed, slumping and sighing. Kori could finally see where she was.

White. White everywhere. She was lying on a bed. Her hand was connected to an IV, and she heard a heart moniter beeping. Curtains surrounded her, allowing space only for her bed, the chair Richard was sitting on, and a little room for a person, say, a doctor, to pace. She was in a hospital room.

"What...?" Kori started, trying to get up. An excruciating pain jolted her entire body, and her head seemed to slice open with a massive headache. She cried out and Richard pushed her back down, very much tense again. A throb still remained. "Ouch," she said finally.

"Yeah," Richard muttered. "I'd ask how you were feeling, but it's pretty obvious."

Kori laughed a little, but that hurt too. In fact, anything but moving her head around was out of the question. "Richard...what happened? Why am I here?" she croaked.

"You don't remember?" he questioned. Just asking that looked like it caused him as much pain as it would cause her to run the marathon right now. "I went to your house...and..." He broke off, scooting his chair back and looking away. She must have been imagining it...or could there really have been a tear sliding down his cheek?

"Richard?"

"Korina! My _bumgorf_, you are awake!" Galfore rushed into the room, looking ready to grab her into a bear hug, but wisely decided against it. "We have all been so worried. So worried..." He glanced at Richard solemnly, but the boy was busy memorizing the pattern on the floor tiles. "How are you feeling?"

Kori caught herself right before shrugging. "I don't know. What happened, Galfore?"

Richard jumped up suddenly, and moved back the curtain, ready to leave. "Dick?" Galfore asked.

He didn't even look back. "I don't need to hear this again."

Kory was shocked at his sudden departure, but Galfore just nodded to himself, like he had expected it. "He was very distraught when he called us from the ambulance. He could not speak. He has not spoken since he called 9-9-1." Kori mentally thanked X'hal that it was Richard who'd called the emergency hotline and not Galfore.

"But why would he have to?" Why was she in so much pain? Why was Richard crying? Why was she in a hospital? Why couldn't she remember anything from last night?

"Korina...last night, someone broke into our home. They hurt you horribly. Had Dick not arrived, you would have..." The big man looked like he was trying to talk, but no words came out. Kori took a deep breath.

"Died?" Galfore swallowed and nodded.

"The doctors believed you would not wake up. You had...lost so much blood, Korina. You had a concussion, far too severe to have resulted from falling on the floor. The attacker had bludgeoned you."

"Who? Who was it?" she asked fearfully. She hadn't been scared before, there had been too much pain. But now, the reality hit her. Hard. She'd been attacked. Someone had apparently attempted murder. On her.

Galfore shrugged, his eyes fraught with sadness. "We do not know. The police are looking into it, but so far, they have found nothing."

* * *

Richard didn't remember calling 9-1-1. He didn't remember helping the paramedics break down the door to Kori's home, helping them lift her body on to the stretcher. He didn't remember climbing into the ambulance with them, or calling Galfore and giving the phone to the paramedic. But he did remember the whole, agonizing, ten-minute ride. He hadn't been ble to take his eyes off Kori. And not in the good way. 

He was glad, in a way, that his vision had blurred, even though all he could see was the red, red from her hair, red from her blood. At least he couldn't distinguish the difference anymore. _Kori needs a haircut, that's all_. It was pretty easy to tell he was a wreck.

He'd nearly collapsed, on getting out of the ambulance, but he forced himself to get up. Kori needed him, and they were taking Kori away. He needed to follow them. And so, Richard had stumbled along with them until they made him wait outside the ER. The next thing he knew, Galfore was there, shaking him awake, telling him that he'd passed out. Fainted. Him.

But there wasn't time to worry about his well being. Kori had been stabilized. She was sleeping soundly, now, and was sure to wake up soon. That was all Richard had bothered to hear from Galfore before rushing into Kori's room. He grabbed a chair and sat down by her bed.

Her face was virtually clear of any wounds, besides a gigantic bruise on the side of her head. Her arms had a few cuts on them, but nothing too major. The rest of her body was covered with a white sheet, and Richard didn't dare try to even think what might lie under that. He stroked her cheek, a garbled sound making it's way out of his throat. And that was when everything hit him at full force. Before, it had been dulled by his shock, but now...

He sank back in his chair, panting. _Kori got hurt! Kori's in the hospital, and it's all your fault! Stupid, stupid, stupid! If you hadn't listened to her, if you'd've gone and met her, she'd be fine! And now look, you're not doing a thing about it, you're sitting here and crying! Like you're nine years old!_

He was crying. And the relevation startled him. He hadn't cried in...forever. Not since his parents died. But he'd had the same feeling then: the overwhelming sadness, the helplessness while they were carted off, knowing he'd never see them again...

_Idiot. She's alive. She'll be fine, the doctors said._

_What if she's not? What if she hates me because this is all my fault--_

And Kori woke up.

* * *

I didn't kill her! Though it goes against popular belief, I am NOT a murderer, and I feel rather hurt you thought me to be one.

Haha, just kidding, but I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. More drama is coming soon!


	8. Chapter 8: The Visit

Another update! I'm on a roll, lol!

Dude! I just saw a little kid on America's Funniest Home Videos that was dressed like Robin! I forgot what the clip was, though...

Thank you to **caresse345, Xx-Clueless-Dummii-xX, TerraBB4Eva, lil love fan, mysteree101, XxNightfirexX, Alien Emerald, cartoonfire, shattered-hearts-602, milkshakelvr, jcyz, cartoonstar, BerryDrops, Crimson Black, RavenSis, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, RobinxStarfireLuvr, Nightstar Grayson, and Black Raven 13 **for reviewing the last chapter!

As a side note, I'm really really sorry if I didn't reply to your review. I think I got everyone, but I don't know. Like I said, I've been really busy, and I'm sneaking around my parents's backs so I can get these chapters posted (hence the shortness...but there's also another reason) anyway, I really appreciate all of them, but I'm sorry if I missed someone.

To **jksdfhklnl **(do you mind if I shorten it to JK?) I think there'll be around twenty chapters. And I want to write longer chapters, but for reasons mentioned above and at the bottom, it's difficult...heh, I'm planning for about four stories right now, five if you include the random one, and I can't think of more fillers to put in here. Sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans

* * *

"Kori!" Karen rushed over, and, like Galfore, nearly hugged her. Judging Kori's condition, it was understandable that she didn't. "How bad is it? Galfore told us what happened, it scared us so bad, and Dick's practically ordering Secret Service agents to come and watch over you, Dick's so worried, I've never seen him like this, heck, I've never been like this, my friend just got attacked! Does it hurt? Do you need a painkiller? I can get a nurse over here or something--" Vic came up behind her and clapped a hand over her mouth. 

"Sorry, she had seven cups of coffee this morning because she couldn't sleep last night, worried, you know? The hospital wouldn't let us visit yesterday, really, Kor, or we'd've come the minute we heard. Family only." This was the first time Kori had seen Vic totally unsmiling, even that twinkle that always seemed to reside in his eyes completely dulled. She tried to remain cheerful for her other friends, who were spilling into the room at the moment. Jenny, Wally, Roy, Alan, Angelina, Rachel, Gar, and even Donna walked in, making the already tense atmosphere worse.

"But Richard's not family," Kori pointed out, grinning. "Usually Galfore doesn't try strangling his kids, and I've seen him do that to Richard quite a few times." No one smiled back. _Tough crowd_.

Rachel emerged from the small crowd, her expression as blank as Vic's. "You didn't answer Karen, Kori. How bad is it?"

Kori's eyes swiveled to her blanket. "I...I don't know. I haven't wanted to look...but it's healed a little. I can move around, now, without it hurting all that much. I'm not going to die, or anything, and the doctors say there won't be any lasting injury, besides the two weeks that I have to stay in the hospital for. So that's good."

Rachel's mask of steel wavered for a moment, and Kori knew she was just as scared as everyone else, and this was her way of being strong. "It's not good, Kori. The police can't get to the bottom of this, and..." She let it hang, and everyone filled the gap in for themselves.

_And this person is still on the loose._

_And they can't guarentee protection against something they don't know about._

_And you could get hurt...or worse...again.

* * *

_Richard could hardly bear to see Kori again, not like that. Almost as pale as the hospital sheets themselves, unable to move, nearly in tears every time someone touched her...he shook his head, trying to rid himself of the images, but knew it was no use. Who would do that to Kori? Not anyone he could think of.

But wait...Richard grabbed a sheet of loose leaf, the blank sheet he was supposed to be doing his homework on. But who could concentrate on homework when Kori was in the hospital?

On it, he wrote all of the people he could think of that had been involved somehow with Kori, and then seriously hurt. One came right off the bat.

_-Xavier Redd_

Others came quickly enough.

_-Koma Anders_

_-Kitten Moth_

Richard almost felt like smirking.

_-Barbara Gordon_

He immediately crossed her off. Babs wouldn't do something like that. Besides, she was two thousand miles away. Idiot. How could he have accused her, even though he hadn't said it to anyone?

_-Steven Redd_

He crossed that off, too. Steven was definitely a friend of Kori's, even if she'd chosen Richard over him. Not that Steven had ever asked her out, as far as Richard knew, but it was obvious that he would have, if Richard hadn't been in the picture. Steven would never do anything like this either, not even close. Just because Richard didn't like him didn't mean that Steven would do anything to Kori.

_That's it_, Richard thought finally. _That's basically everyone, everyone I know of, anyway. And heck, none of the things that happened to those people were Kori's doing at all, she was just in the way..._He shuddered instinctively. _But surely even Xavier wouldn't go as far as trying to kill her...would he? Even Xavier wouldn't want to hurt someone that bad, right? _He'd tried to do horrible things before, Richard knew, but murder? _That guy used to be my best friend...and now he just tried to kill my ex-girlfriend, someone he knows I'm still in love with..._It fit, easily. Xavier would try something like this. He did drugs, drank underage, he'd even tried to take advantage of Kori before, and he'd gotten beaten up by Richard and his cousin Steven for it...he'd found the cuprit. He knew it. All Richard needed now was proof.

But...

A nagging doubt plagued the back of Richard's mind. Maybe it wasn't Xavier. There was one more person Kori had hurt, hurt in the worst way possible. She'd broken that person completely. That person could barely live life normally anymore. That person hadn't known happiness for over two months, or rather, any emotion other than misery. The pain of a broken heart is almost worse than anything ever imagined.

_-Me_

_

* * *

_Sorry about the horrible shortness. I'm building up to something, but it can't go too fast, because...well, you'll see. And if I dragged this whole thing out, you'd be drooling at your computer screen for an hour instead of five minutes, lol.

And that just seemed like a nice way to end the chapter.


	9. Chapter 9: The Kiss

A longer-ish chapter! (Cheers). About twenty-four hundred words, but it's longer than the other ones...yes? Hopefully?

Thank you to **so not telling, Crimson Black, Nightstar Grayson, Royal Blue, jcyz, Xx-Clueless-Dummi-xX, BerryDrops, lilacprincessmay, Alien Emerald, TerraBB4Eva, Koriand'r Grayson, writer-not-a-fighter, ChristianAndGatorGal, cartoonstar, mysteree101, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, RavenSis, caresse345, cartoonfire, Satine's Voice,shattered-hearts-602, **and** Black Raven 13 **for reviewing!

To **JK**: (lol thanks, by the way) I incuded a clue here before, I don't want to give it away or I'll ruin the surprise :) I don't think anyone's gotten it yet, and to me, that's pretty funny...but I'm giving it away again. Sorry, I'm horrible at this.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything...except the plotline...

* * *

Kori was outraged at the entire police department. She'd requested--no, _demanded_--to see the evidence left at the site of her attack. She wanted to find the culprit herself. But no, it was _confidential_, and it would cause _emotional trauma_ for her to read the file. Didn't they understand it was causing far more distress to sit here and wait for another attack like fish bait? 

She'd finally worked up the courage to see what had been done to her, and it wasn't pretty. She was amazed that whoever had done this to her had missed every vital organ. Apparently, there had been a nick at her stomach, but the cuts were shallow enough that they hadn't damaged much besides skin. Still, they hurt like anything. Her attacker hadn't been very experienced with a knife, was all that she was told. Now, though, she could actually move around. The bruise on her head was fading fast, and it didn't hurt anymore when someone touched her.

Her friends had come once since the day before, but Richard had made no appearance, and as much as she wished she didn't have to admit it, that fact was definitely depressing her. Galfore visited as often as he could, only bringing Suni, as she was the only one he trusted enough not to crawl all over Kori while she was in pain.

"I promise, my bumgorf, I will not leave you home again. It was a very bad idea, I knew you were too young to do so!" Galfore said for the millionth time, shaking his head in agitation.

"Galfore, no one could've forseen this. It's perfectly understandable for you to leave me. I'm seventeen!"

"Too young!"

That was basically all she heard for the entirety of his visits, besides Suni's shy presentations of get-well cards.

The doctor, however, had good news to give, more times than not. It wasn't all that surprising to hear that she was okay, she knew it herself. Evidently, the doctor believed she was in a state of shock whenever she tried to pull the 'tell-me-something-I-don't-know' look, so she quit that. And she was in shock, for the first twenty-four hours, but soon, she found herself admitting that she'd somehow _suspected_ something like this. Not this exactly, but she'd had a hunch that something hadn't been right, ever since that dream of hers...

But, she decided, it had been a good thing she hadn't felt the _actual_ pain, or she would probably still be a quivering pile of putty. But Kori was stronger than that, and she wanted this person revealed and brought to justice...and _then_ she could turn into a quivering pile of putty out of relief.

"Well, Miss Anders, you are healing remarkably quickly. I think those new treatments for helping along the skin cell regeneration had something to do with it. If all goes well, you should be out in a few day's time," the doctor told her earlier that day. Kori had never been more glad. She wasn't one who liked sitting around in a hospital bed in her free time. "And I believe there is a visitor for you, so I'll leave you alone."

Kori had a feeling she was only being left alone because it was break time, but said nothing. As soon as the doctor left, the door opened again, and her heat soared. "Richard."

He didn't even offer a smile, but Kori hadn't expected one. He was more torn up over this mess than she was. "Hey, Kori." Pulling up a chair, he sat by her bed. "Listen, I've been thinking..."

"About what?"

"Let's face it, the police are getting nowhere. I think we could solve this case on our own. I made a list, and if you can add or cross off anyone, let me know." Kory nodded.

"First off, there's Xavier."

"I don't think he would. Richard, someone tried to m-murder me." Wow, that ended up being a _lot_ harder to say than she thought. "He wouldn't do that. He's done horrible things in the past, but this would be too far."

"I still don't want to take him off. I can't believe you still think he'll turn out okay."

"I never said that!"

"Right...then I have--"

Kory grabbed the list from him. "Who's the person on the bottom? The one who's crossed out?"

Richard grabbed it back. "No one important. Now what about--"

"Steven?" Kori asked, aghast. "How could you even _think_ that?" Richard sunk down in his chair a little, ashamed.

"Kori, you don't even know--"

"Know him? Just because he's Xavier's cousin doesn't automatically make him a bad person! And he's in college right now!"

"That's not what I meant--"

"You've always had something against him, I don't even get it! Even now, and he's over a hundred miles away!"

"But I--"

"_Babs_? She's on a business trip with her dad! And you were all for sticking up for her last summer--"

Richard got up, took his list, and left without another word to Kori.

* * *

He'd been tossing and turning all night, tormented by the thought of himself doing that to Kori. What if he really had? What if he'd been delusional or something, and that's why he couldn't remember it? 

Stumbling out of bed that morning, he'd resolved to ask the police to search for any clues to suggest that it had been him. He was so utterly convinced, after a long night of believing it to be so, that he even secluded himself for half the morning, afraid to hurt someone else. At least, for most of the morning, until a furious Karen and Rachel stormed into his room and forced his thoughts out of him.

"Maybe...maybe it was _me_ that did that to Kori," he told them quietly. "What if I went crazy or something? What if I went over there, because I knew she was alone, and..." He trailed off, surpressing a shudder. The explanation sounded so solid...

The two girls were silent for a moment. Then, Karen slapped him. Hard. "Pull yourself together, will you? Kori doesn't need you spazzing like this! You know you didn't do it, you were outside her house, for Pete's sake! You were driving over there while whoever it was tried to hurt her! So don't you dare give me some bull like that or so help me, I'll get you so bad, you'll be crying from here to China!"

It was good to know she believed in him.

But then, after he'd tried to go to Kori with his list, she'd kicked him out, screaming about her precious _Steven_. She didn't know, none of them knew, how insane this was driving him. He was giving everything he had to keep Kori safe, but she didn't care, didn't even see. No one did, they all thought he was getting in the way, as if there was any way possible that someone could freak out _too _much over someone nearly getting murdered. It made him feel curiously lonely.

He wandered aimlessly, passing by shops on the street blaring advertisements for Christmas presents. _I hope Deanna or Dasha or whatever her name is doesn't expect me to buy her a Christmas present. She'd better know I'm not even gonna bother trying..._

Richard ended up in the park, pulling his jacket tighter around him in the slightly chilly winter air. There was a vacant bench that looked rather graffiti-free, so he sat down, staring out at all the mingling people. He heard laughter, and his heart ached. His old theory coming back, he decided to go and talk to the police, to see if they could extract some deeply hidden memory or something.

On his way back, he passed by the arcade and, not surprisingly, saw Vic and Gar within. "Dick! Man, you've gotta see this, I beat this freaky nerd's score!" Vic crowed, pointing to a fat guy with orange hair and a very red face. Richard shook his head and kept walking by, not even stopping when his two friends left their games and caught up with him. "Hey, man, where're you going?" Vic asked him.

"Police station," Richard grunted back.

"Why?" Gar inquired.

Richard stopped. "That's a good question..." Why _was_ he even trying? They were the police, they were trained to handle this sort of thing, and he was a seventeen year old kid! Besides, Kori and Karen and Rachel thought he was only getting in the way, that he was no use at all under pressure like this. And, apparently, Kori didn't need him, spazzing or not. Why bother trying to prove them wrong? "They can figure this stupid thing out on their own," Richard hissed, turning around and heading away from his previous destination, as far as he could go. Or at least, he would've gone as far as he could go if Vic and Gar hadn't held him back.

"Did you and Kori get in a fight again?" Gar asked, seriously, for once.

"That's none of your business!"

The little guy recoiled. "My bad. Just asking. You always get really cranky when you two fight."

"Then why bother asking?" Richard muttered.

"Why bother sulking?" Vic smirked. "You know you wanna apologize, so go do it. We need to get back to our game, man, before that fat dude steals my first place. Move, ya haven't got all day, visiting hours are almost over."

And, of course, that was where Richard ended up fifteen minutes later. "Kori?" he asked quietly. The girl looked up, beaming when she saw him, but Richard could still make out the dry tear tracks on her cheeks.

"Richard! I'm so sorry, I never meant to yell--"

"It's fine, Kori, it's my fault, I was just scared--"

"It's not your fault, I was just angry and fed up with not being able to go anywhere and I took it out on you, I shouldn't have--" Kori went cross eyed as she stared down, trying to get the finger Richard had put on her lips into focus.

"It's fine."

Kori nodded, and he let go. "I meant to tell you, Richard, in my dream, there was something weird...it might help this whole thing--"

"Mr. Grayson?" A nurse poked her head in the room. "Visiting hours end in ten minutes, just thought I'd let you know." Richard nodded at her, and the nurse disappeared.

"Do they decide to show up every five seconds?" he asked irritably.

"Not every five seconds, no, only when I don't want them in here," Kori sighed.

"Oh yeah? And what about when you _do_ want them around?"

"I rarely do."

The corner of Richard's mouth quirked into a smile for the first time in days. "You sound like Rachel."

"I guess I can understand where she's coming from, then. If I'd been holed up in my room for ten years out of my seventeen years of life, then I'd be pretty cranky, too."

"You don't look cranky."

She gave him a cheeky grin. "Not compared with you, I don't." He grinned back, and then leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.

Kori tensed suddenly, but he didn't stop, willing her to calm down. She relaxed within the next second or so, wrapping her arms around his neck. Fireworks exploded in his mind as she started to kiss him back, her fingers raking through his hair and clutching to him as if for dear life. He wanted to pull her off the bed and closer to him, but she probably didn't need the IV needle forcefully yanked out of her hand, so he climbed on to her hospital bed, wrapping an arm around her waist. He separated for a few milleseconds of breathing, but kissed her again, pushing his tongue into her mouth...

"Mr. _Grayson!_"

...And promptly falling off the bed.

The nurse looked about ready to throw up, so she only made gestures that very obviously spelled out 'I don't care if you're a millionaire, you get out right now or I'm calling security.' Richard flushed and turned to Kori quickly to say good-bye and mouth a 'whoops,' but stopped at the sight of her face. "Kori?"

She didn't answer, just shook her head and stared past him.

"Kori, are you okay?"

"I think she's telling you to leave, Richard," Kori answered shakily.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"Just leave, Richard, please..."

"What's going on?"

"Richard, _you're_ in a relationship right now and _I'm_ not ready for one, it's too soon and I don't want--"

"What do you mean, you don't want it? I couldn't care less for what's-her-face, and you know that!"

Kori brought her knees up to her chest and looked away, her eyes filling with tears. "Please, go. I don't want to talk right now."

"Mr. Grayson! You are upsetting a patient, and I am calling security if you're not gone in the next five seconds!"

"You know what? FINE!" he growled at the poor nurse. "I don't even know why I came here anyway! I shouldn't've cared! I should've known that everytime I try to patch things up, she messes it all up! She's the one always starting all these problems, and I'm sick of it! You can be _sure_ you won't ever see me around here again!" He stormed out, ignoring the sounds of Kori's sobs behind him. _She_ was crying? _She_ was the one not making any sense! _She_ was the one flirting! _She_ was the one who'd kissed him back! What the heck was that supposed to mean, she wasn't ready for a relationship? In case she hadn't noticed, they'd already been in one!

He scared quite a few innocent bystanders on the way back to Wayne Manor, but he didn't care. This was it. He was done with her.

* * *

Yay for longer-ish chapters! Heh. 


	10. Chapter 10: The Homecoming

Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned below.

* * *

"Korina? Wake up, my bumgorf. It is time to return home."

She hadn't really been sleeping, but pretended, so no one would worry past the point that they already did. Slowly, she climbed out of the hospital bed, wincing at the contact on the ice cold floor with her bare feet. She hadn't stood up in days.

Galfore ushered her into a wheelchair and bundled her in at least five layers. The nurse carted her out of the hospital and into Galfore's car. "I am sure you will be pleased with the arrangements made in your room."

"Arrangements?"

"You will see."

Kori buckled in her seat belt, and they began a silent ride back home. Galfore knew something was off, but fiddled around with the radio dial instead of addressing it. His wife would be better at that. Still, Galfore's cursing at the 'strange American music' definitely helped lighten Kori's mood, even if it only was a slight amount.

"SURPRISE!"

As soon as Kori flipped on the light in the dark house, nearly all of her friends jumped out from behind couches and tables and chairs. A huge banner had been set up, "WELCOME HOME, KORI!" Balloons were everywhere, and there was a cake, too. It was like a birthday party.

Only, Kori didn't feel like partying.

"W-what?" she started, less-than-eloquently.

"We're glad to see you out of the hospital, girl!" Karen declared. "Everything's so serious, it's nice to have a party every once in a while, isn't it?" Vic, Gar, Roy, Wally, Alan, Jenny, Angelina, and Rachel (sort of) agreed vociferously.

"Oh...oh wow..." Kori forced a smile. "Thanks, you guys."

"You don't look so good. Are you sure you're okay?" Vic asked, concerned. Gar gave her a closer inspection, but Kori pulled back.

"I'm fine. I'm sorry, but after sleeping for so long, I'm not feeling the greatest, it'll take some getting used to..." she lied. "Do you mind if I grab a quick shower?"

When she stepped out, though, Karen, Rachel, Jenny, and Angelina were waiting in her room. "Hey. Listen, I tried calling Dick up, but...you wanna tell me why he's making up lame excuses not to be here?" Karen asked.

"Nothing's wrong, everything's fine!" Kori said as brightly as she could manage. Obviously, it didn't work out so well, because even _Rachel_ didn't shake her head in disgust at the happy-bubbly-ness. With more prodding on their part, the story came out. And it didn't make Kori feel any better when she told it.

"I don't get it," Rachel said when she finished.

"What don't you get?" Kori asked quietly, not liking the angry look Rachel was giving her.

"Dick gives you a perfectly good chance to get back together and you blow it?"

Kori was hurt. More than that. How could Rachel not understand? Karen, though, saved her from explaining. "What do you mean, perfectly good chance? In case you haven't noticed, Kori's going through just a _little_ bit of a hard time right now. And Dick comes in, hold on, he's IN a relationship, and he cheats on that girl just like he did to Kori last summer. Do you think she's going to stand for that? How would _you_ feel, ready to go back to some guy who's cheated on nearly every single girlfriend he's had?"

"Confused," Rachel answered, but Karen wasn't done ranting.

"Dick's my friend, sure, but he can be such a...a..." Karen could not find a word bad enough. "You know what I mean. So _frustrating!_ You'd think by now he'd get some brains and _use_ them!"

* * *

"Richard Grayson to the principal's office, please," called a voice over the intercom that morning. Mr. Plasmus was snoring, so Richard just left. He hated that office. Slade Wilson, the principal, used to scare Kori half to death, he remembered. But that just got him angry, so he stopped remembering. 

"Mr. Grayson. I'm afraid I cannot say it is a pleasure to meet you again," came Slade's deadly voice. _Who names their kid 'Slade' anyway? _Richard thought insolently.

"Same. What do you want?"

"Manners, dear boy, manners. Weather is nice, isn't it? Now, why don't you tell me why each and every one of your friends is absent today. Unexcused."

"They are?" Richard played dumb. He knew exactly where they were, but it was satisfying to taunt Slade.

The air turned icy cold. "They are. Now, it's far too much trouble for my poor secretary, so please let them know, next time you have one of your little 'get-togethers,' that they are very close to suspension...possibly expulsion...if they decide to play hookey any longer."

Richard snorted. "In case you can't keep track of your students, Kori was attacked. Of course they're going to be at her house."

"Then why aren't you?"

"Wouldn't _you_ like to know."

Slade frowned, and then continued in a more businesslike voice. "Enough small talk. I called you here to offer you an opportunity--something that you most definitely do not deserve, acting as childish as you are--for a state recognition."

Richard frowned. "Come again?"

"There is a certain state meeting, with representatives from all high schools, on December third. I would like to send yourself and Miss Anders, if she has...recovered. It is a prestigious honor. There is a dinner that begins at eight o'clock--"

"Hold on a second. I never said I'm going anywhere."

Slade's eyes narrowed. "You aren't?"

"No. Definitely not to some idiotic convention. I would've joined the student council if I wanted to do that. Count me out." He stood up, ready to leave.

"Why don't you ask Miss Anders? I'm sure she'll want to--"

"How about I _don't_?" Richard snarled. "You can't make me do anything."

He left the office.

* * *

Sorry, nothing really happening in this chapter...or the next...but the one after that will have...well, you'll see, but there is a LOT.


	11. Chapter 11: The Return

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans

* * *

"You _must_ go back to school. You have already missed a full week!" Galfore urged Kori. 

Truthfully, she was avoiding school. Going to school would mean talking to Richard again. She couldn't _not_ meet up with him. They sat together at lunch, she had two classes with him, and then there was the slight complication that they had the same best friends. Of course, it would happen eventually, but Kori was putting it off as long as possible. She had no wish to see him, especially with a girlfriend, after whatever she had told him.

She regretted it, of course, but her decision had not changed. How mad would he be when she finally spoke with him? He was just about ready to blow his top when he left the hospital room that day. Why couldn't he understand?

"Galfore, can't I have one more day at home? Just to recuperate--"

"No. That would mean I would have to leave you home alone, and I will not, I repeat, _will not_--"

She was going. Whenever Galfore brought in the "I repeat, _emphasis_" Kori knew he would not change his mind.

This found her in homeroom at seven thirty, and thankfully, Richard was in the room down the hall. "Hey, Kori. You had us all really worried, when we found out what happened, I'm glad you're okay," Collette, a fellow senior and friend from last year's ski trip whispered as the bell rang.

"Thanks."

"You can borrow my notes for English, if you want. I already studied for the test today."

"Miss Anders?" called her teacher. Kori got up and walked to the desk. "This is from the principal." She handed Kori a creamy envelope and sent her back to her seat. Unable to contain her curiosity, Kori opened it. Inside, in elegant writing, it read,

_You are cordially invited to_

_Mallah Hotel & Suites_

_To celebrate_

_The 1st Annual 'Representing Our Schools' Convention_

Kori read down the rest of the invitation, her eyebrows disappearing into her hairline. "What is that?" Collette asked.

"Some kind of fancy invite. I don't really know..."

"I'd hate to have to go and talk to Wilson about it. Maybe you could ask someone else. You think you're the only one you got one?"

"No idea."

"Girls! Are you finished talking? When you're done, let me know so I can start teaching."

Three periods afterwards came the class Kori was dreading the most: lunch.

Fortunately, though, Richard was nowhere to be found. She sat down next to Karen, glancing around as if she was being followed. "Hey, Kori, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. I almost forgot what day it was, though, and walked into Dr. Chang's class instead of Mr. Maud's..."

"I forget odd and even days anyway," Roy shrugged.

"But still...hey, do you guys know what this is?" Kori asked, sliding the invitation on to the table. Alan frowned at it.

"Hey, did you get it in homeroom?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Dick got one of those, too, and he was pretty mad about it, for some reason. Well, he's mad about everything right now, but you know..." Alan trailed off and resumed his conversation with Wally.

Kori was shocked. Why would _Richard_ get one of these? He wasn't exactly a star pupil. And what were the odds of the two of them getting the same invite that no one else seemed to have?

"Great," she muttered. "The one other person who has it, I can't talk to."

* * *

Fury. Anger. Fury. Anger. Before today, Richard hadn't known that there was a difference between the two. When he was furious, he felt the need to take the fury out on something...or someone. So currently, he was trying to stay angry.

How _dare_ Slade try to tell him what to do. How _dare_ he taunt him with whatever happened between him and Kori. How _dare_ Kori be so confusing. How _dare_ this idiotic, dyed-blonde freak-- "Dick! Wait up! OMG why didn't you meet me at the mall? OMG I was all alone for fifteen minutes! OMG are you mad at me? OMG are you going to break up with me? OMG--"

"Yes! _Yes_, for the fiftieth time, I'm breaking up with you! Now leave me alone!"

Kori just _had_ to be so frustrating! It was all her fault! He still couldn't figure out what 'I'm not ready for a relationship yet' meant. And if his locker did not open, he was going to tear it off the wall.

Not only that, but he'd had another fight this morning, with Alfred. The poor butler had asked him what was wrong, because he seemed angry, and Richard nearly bit his head off. "Kori just got attacked, and now she won't talk to me! What do you _think_ is wrong?"

Alfred had suggested a guidance counselor, and Richard had walked out. But now, it seemed like a good idea. Only, this wouldn't be happening if Kori hadn't decided to be so unsure at the last minute.

He was very bitter.

"Mr. Grayson?" his teacher said as soon as he entered the classroom. "You are to report to the main office and sign out for your dentist appointment."

Dentist appointment? Richard stared confusedly at her for a few seconds, but shrugged and walked out. He wasn't complaining about missing school.

Unfortunately, he couldn't just ditch. A Mercedes was waiting for him right outside the school doors. "Good afternoon, Master Richard," Alfred greeted, apparently having completely forgotten about the morning's argument. He grabbed Richard's backpack and put it in the trunk, and then filled Richard in on what was going on.

There was no dentist appointment. Bruce had decided to let Richard skip a little bit of school to go somewhere that might make Richard feel a little better. The ride was silent, as Alfred didn't want to give anything away, but Richard had a strong feeling that they were going to a shrink's office.

Surprisingly enough, though, Alfred stopped the car in Jump City International Airport. A man, his wife, and their daughter were all waiting as Alfred pulled into the parking spot. Richard's eyes widened, Bruce was right, he felt a _lot_ better.

"Hey, Dick! We're back early!" Babs called to him.

* * *

Okay, maybe a _little_ drama... 


	12. Chapter 12: The Danger

Hehe I like this chapter :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or anything else mentioned below.

* * *

"Please tell me I'm having a nightmare," Kori prayed. She was _not_ seeing Babs Gordon back at school, arm-in-arm with Richard, who'd apparently forgotten Kori as soon as the other redhead had come back from vacation. Kori tore her eyes away from the laughing and talking couple, and shuffled towards her homeroom class. 

"Miss Anders." A voice stopped her. The principal, Slade Wilson. "You had questions about the invitation?"

Kori nodded hesitantly. She really didn't like this guy. "Yes...um...I don't understand what it's for."

"That's not important," Slade answered mysteriously. "Mr. Grayson is to pick you up at seven o'clock sharp." And he walked away, leaving Kori even more confused and upset than before.

She didn't even bother going to lunch. She'd seen enough of those two in the hallways, and had lost her appetite one minute into the school day. She had three tests to make up, though, and that took up more than enough time for an excuse not to be in the cafeteria.

The only thing that kept her going the whole day was that she would be seeing Richard that night. Maybe, it would be the one last chance she needed to make things up with him--even if she knew they would probably just fall apart again--before Babs whisked him away...for the second time.

Six thirty inched around, and Kori couldn't have been happier. Just a half-hour left. Galfore's wife and kids had gone to the opening of a new playplace, and Galfore was currently trying to convince Kori to come grocery shopping with him.

"Korina, I refuse to leave you alone!"

"I know, Galfore! Don't you think I'm scared, too? But I'll never be able to stay alone again if everyone is always so worried! Would you hire an escort to take me everywhere for the rest of my life?" Kori argued. Her uncle just sighed and went out to start the car in the winter cold.

"Korina, please..." he begged one last time as he came back in.

"I'll be fine," Kori answered bravely. She was terrified, but she had to face her fear. "Besides, Richard will be here in fifteen minutes." Galfore sighed again, but nodded. Kori knew Galfore trusted Richard even more than _she _did.

Galfore left, and Kori rushed up to her room. She had to look perfect. But what to wear?

Six fifty. Still nothing. Kori was getting frantic. The phone rang, though, interrupting her thoughts. Richard was calling. Kori picked up the phone eagerly. "Hello?" she greeted.

"Listen, I'm not coming. Babs and I are going to a movie," Richard answered gruffly. There was a pause where, Kori suspected, she was supposed to answer. But she couldn't. Kori's jaw had dropped in shock, and before she could choke out anything coherent, he hung up the phone.

And someone grabbed her from behind.

* * *

Richard was thanking everyone he knew for Babs's return. She could cheer him up better than anyone else. "...And then, the alligator went for him, BAM, but he fended it off with a stick. _A stick. _Can you believe it? Too bad it was just a movie..." 

Richard chuckled. "You might've told me that before, I thought you were talking about your dad."

Babs just shrugged. "Like my dad would ever use something as primitive as a stick." She leaned back in her chair when the teacher wasn't watching. "It's great to be back, though. I missed talking to you all the time, and Terra said she's been pretty lonely, too. But Kitten was awfully quiet." She laughed. "Thank goodness."

"Yeah..." They were heading into dangerous waters.

"How're the rest of them? Gar and Vic still trying to be funny? Haha, I remember Rachel nearly pulling her hair out, remember sophomore year? Is Kori still being a--I mean, how is she?" Babs covered up. "Still not together, are you?"

"You don't have to be nice. It's fine. She's impossible."

Babs nodded sympathetically. "Most girls are." She paused for a minute, and frowned. "Dick...I didn't end it for you guys, did I?"

He sighed. "It's fine. It was gonna end sooner or later anyway."

"No it wasn't!" Babs leaned forward in her chair, and the teacher stirred, looking back at the two of them. They stared back innocently until she leaned over her grade book again. "You know it wasn't. How could you forgive me after all that? I was _worse_ than Kori, I've never done something so embarrassing in my life, and you just wave it away? No wonder she's mad at you!"

Richard was too confused, and now his head hurt. "You wanna come over to my place after school? Alfred made pie," he mumbled. Babs shook her head in that maddening you're-so-pathetic way.

Afterwards, he drove her to Wayne Manor, where, waiting for them, was a piping hot apple pie. "You know, those hotel cooks couldn't cook half as well as Alfred. And it was all dumb stuff, too, like bread and butter with a fancy name," Babs commented. "These are always perfect, and the names aren't impossible to say."

"Yeah, well, they all have 'Alfred's World Famous' in front of their actual names."

Babs punched his shoulder lightly. "Gosh, Dick, you're no fun! Lighten up!"

Richard was ready to retort, but then slapped his forehead. "Today's December third, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah, we've only been writing it all over our papers in school. Why?"

He shook his head. "No reason. Hold on, I'm going to look something up." He grabbed his laptop from the couch and started it up, typing 'Mallah Hotel & Suites' into the search bar. Clicking on the site, he checked the events and frowned.

"That's weird."

"What's weird?"

"I'm supposed to go to this convention thing. Don't ask. But it's at the hotel we went to last summer, only, it's not listed here at all...what if I forgot what time it started or something?"

"Call the school."

He checked the school website next, but nothing was mentioned there, either.

"Dick, it's the first time this is happening, apparently. So they don't have it recorded, big deal. Now can I ask how the heck you managed to land yourself in the Teacher's Pet seat?" Babs prodded. Richard sighed and put away the laptop, having no choice but to listen to her.

"It's stupid. If it's not listed there, it's probably not important. No one'll care if I don't go," he told her after the explanation was over. "What time do you have to be home?"

"Doesn't matter. We had enough family time over vacation, so my parents don't care where I am until nine."

"Let's go out, then." Then Richard remembered. He was Kori's ride to this stupid convention thing. "Hold on a second, Babs, I gotta make a call. Can you get the car started?"

"What, no motorcycle? It's just winter!" Babs called back to him teasingly.

Richard shook his head and waited for Kori to pick up the phone. "Hello?" she answered. It was funny how just hearing her voice could make him smile, even if he was beyond angry at her.

"Listen, I'm not coming. Babs and I are going to a movie," he grunted out, trying not to sound too nice. Kori said nothing, so he hung up. Guilt clawed at him for a second, but he refused to call her back.

"Dick! You coming?" Babs yelled.

The phone rang again, and Richard picked it up. "Hello?"

"Richard Grayson? This is Galfore, Korina's uncle. Why are you still at home? Korina said you would pick her up at seven o'clock. She is not answering the phone."

Richard dropped the receiver. Maybe there was another reason Kori had said nothing.

"Babs! Stay here! I need to go to Kori's--someone's got her and she's all alone!"

* * *

Dun dun dunnnn... 


	13. Chapter 13: The Truth

The most exciting chapter! At least, I hope so :)

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

"Hello, sister dear," sneered a very familiar voice. "Did you miss me?"

"Koma!" Kori breathed. No. Her sister hadn't done this to her. Her sister wouldn't attack her and leave her to die. Her sister...she was her sister..."Koma, what...you were the one who tried to k-kill me?"

Koma laughed menacingly, but the actual answer was provided by a man stepping out of the shadows. "She was. On my orders. Miss Anders, you are merely bait. Bait, for a much bigger plan." Slade. Her principal.

How did this happen?

Kori was terrified and confused. Her sister had sneaked into her house with the principal of a high school and was now pinning her to a wall. But when Koma pulled out a knife and pressed it to her throat, terror took over completely. Her sister was going to try to murder her. Again. And this time, she would probably succeed.

"Don't worry, my dear, nothing will happen to you--at least, not yet. You wouldn't have died the first time, either. Koma made sure of that. It was a scare, nothing more. Because a certain someone had trouble containing her anger," Slade said, his voice taking an even darker, more disapproving tone.

Koma snarled. "She deserved it! Leaving me on the streets of Gotham with no money! You took the entire fortune! Didn't leave anything for me except the money to pay the cab driver! Do you know how I lived? I had to find food out of garbage cans for months before I could work up enough to pay for some!"

"You shouldn't have stolen it in the first place, then! If you had stayed home, I would have gladly shared it with you!" Kory couldn't even find it in her to raise her voice to Koma. She hadn't known she'd put her sister through so much pain.

Koma pressed Kori to the wall, her eyes burning with rage. "Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't have done," she hissed. "Once Slade's done using you, I am going to make you wish you were never born, and then I'm going to kill you. And I'll enjoy it." Koma dug the knife into her skin, laughing at Kori's whimper of pain.

Kori refused to show any fear, but inside she was screaming. "Koma...I am so sorry..."

"Apologies aren't going to help you now," Koma snorted. "But you might as well say your prayers while we wait."

"Wait?" Kori craned her neck to see Slade. "Wait for...what?"

"Why, your boyfriend, of course," Slade answered, smiling slightly.

"Richard?" What would they want with him? Why would they use her? "We aren't dating anymore. You've got the wrong person. He doesn't...he doesn't care about me. At all."

Slade's smile grew. "On the contrary, my dear, he cares about you quite a bit. At this very moment, he is driving over here to check on you. Even Miss Gordon will not keep him from you, if that is what you are thinking. If I have learned anything from my high school pricipal career, it is that young love makes people do very stupid things. And if it makes you feel any better about your current situation, he is very much in love with you, and it will lead him to his doom."

Yeah, she felt a whole ton better.

"What do you want with him? Leave him alone!"

"Now, why would I do that? Tonight is a night of revenge, my dear. His father has caused me far too much trouble. With his son's life on the line, he won't do anything." It disgusted Kori that he could say all of this with a completely serene expression, as if killing was bliss. "Let me tell you a story, Miss Anders. Once upon a time, there was a man. He may not have been an honest man, but he did what he could to get by. A billionaire, a man with no business in the underground, came along and rooted the man out. The man was subjected to trials and accusations, even of crimes he hadn't committed. Only through his own wit was he able to pull through.

"Then the billionaire decided to accuse him again. He had evidence, you see, that the man was doing something dishonest again. So he sent out two 'very trusted' friends to deliver it to the court. The man had no choice but to bomb the plane."

It clicked. Kori's heart raced, her mind blurred, tears filled her eyes. "My parents. You killed my parents!" She stared disbelievingly at Koma. "How could you still join him after that? He killed mom and dad!"

"Old fools. They never cared about me anyway," Koma spat.

"So then," Slade continued, "the man decided to take revenge. On a chance trip to Gotham City, he met a young lady with a grudge, and as it was not too far out of his way, he offered to help her out. It would be easier for the both of them, since the man had already tried to infiltrate his enemy's home without much success. He'd employed a young boy to help him out by sneaking in a camera during a party, but the boy had gotten...distracted."

"Xavier," Kori whispered.

"The camera is still there, undetected. It has been providing me with feed for over a year now. It is mobile, which is why I am so sure Mr. Grayson is nowhere in the house. I've seen very interesting things, Miss Anders. Do you know exactly how many hours a day Mr. Grayson spends moping over you?" Kori chose to ignore that. "So you see, when he arrives, he will have no choice but to hand himself over to us, on the threat of your death. If you had both gone to the 'convention,' it would have been easier to get you both together, but this way works as well. And I believe your uncle is properly detained at the grocery store, so we have no worries about interruption."

The door creaked open downstairs. Slade and Koma must have left it unlocked. "Kori?" called Richard.

"LEAVE! DON'T COME IN HERE! IT'S A TRAP! DON'T--" Koma slapped a hand over her mouth, growling. The knife shifted against her throat. Kori continued to yell, but it was too muffled for him to hear. Richard stood in the doorway to the room less than a minute later.

* * *

"Stay in the car," Richard told Babs grimly. Kori's house was dark, but the front door was open slightly. He walked in and turned on the foyer light. There was no one there. "Kory?" he yelled.

He heard screaming from upstairs, and knew it was her. Flying up the steps two at a time, Richard found himself staring at a nightmare through the doorway of Kori's room. Kori...Slade...Koma...Kori was getting hurt, Koma was hurting her...

"Let go of her, Koma!" he roared at the black haired girl.

Slade smirked. "So good of you to join us, Mr. Grayson. Come in. But remember, one false move...Koma has it covered." Koma held a knife to Kori's neck.

"I said, let go!"

Kori was yelling muffled words, struggling against Koma's hand. She finally freed herself. "Get out of here, Richard! Leave! You can still leave now--" Koma slapped her hand over Kori's mouth again.

"Leave and she dies," Koma muttered, flashing the knife threateningly.

"Now that we're all here, I want to ask a favor of you," Slade proceeded. "Firstly, I want you to join me."

"Join you?" Richard asked confusedly.

"Join me. As in, leave here forever, do what I ask, become...somewhat of an apprentice in the criminal ways. What do you say?"

"Never!"

"That was what I thought. Let me remind you, if you refuse, Kori's life is over. Do you want to change your answer?"

Richard hesitated.

Kori's voice broke free. "He won't! Not now, not ever! Leave him--"

Slade's expression twisted into one of annoyance for the first time that night. "Keep her quiet, or I will quiet her permanently."

If Slade thought this would silence her, he was dead wrong. Kori was doing everything she could to get Richard outside, with no care for herself anymore. She was going to get herself killed if she didn't stop. "Fine! Just leave her alone! Don't hurt her..." He was pleading now, but Kori was even more unmanageable than before. Her neck was beginning to bleed from the constant rubbing of the knife.

"Richard, get out of here! Don't be stupid, he'll only use you to keep Bruce from arresting him--"

Bruce! He had to get Bruce here! Slowly, carefully, he slid his hand into his pocket, wrapping his fingers around his cell phone and flipping up the lid. Bruce was number one on his speed dial. He had to keep them talking long enough for Bruce to get here.

"Wait! What happens to Kori if I agree to go with you, Slade?" He hoped Bruce was listening in. There was no fear of the older man blurting something out, he never said much anyway.

"She will be unharmed for the time being. That's what you're concerned about, right?"

"What do you mean, for the time being?"

Slade smiled. "I mean, for the time being. I cannot promise anything else. After all, who can see the future?"

"You have to promise me she'll be fine! Otherwise, I'm not going anywhere with you!"

"My dear boy, you are in no position to bargain. You join me, or she dies. It's as simple as that. What happens later does not concern you at all. Koma will hold the girl until we are out of the building. Come."

Too late, Slade realized something was amiss. Richard went for Koma, punching her in the gut, while Bruce appeared behind him, taking Slade. It was a small scuffle, as the surpise combined with Bruce's impressive strength and skill overtook Slade in seconds.

Richard knocked Koma out, almost sighing in relief. Thank goodness Bruce had gotten there so fast.

What he'd overlooked, though, was the knife that had fallenfrom Koma's hand, slicing straight into Kori's head.

"KORI!"

* * *

O.o


	14. Chapter 14: The Coma

Sorry for the short chapter, but I didn't want to put anything else in this one...

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

_Kori woke up in a daze. Where was she? The sky above her was pink and gold, like it was sunset. But there was no living thing in sight, just plains as far as her eye could see. She held herself and rubbed her arms, shivering. Something wasn't right about this place._

_Someone's arms wrapped around her from behind. "Are you cold?" Richard whispered in her ear. She whipped around. Where had he come from? She hadn't even heard him approaching._

_"Richard? What're you doing here? Where are we?"_

_Richard smiled at her. "I've always been here, Kori."_

_"But...why are we the only people here? Where is everyone else?"_

_Someone touched her shoulder, and Kori found herself turning again, her eyes widening in shock. "Why, we're all here, Kori, dear. Can't you see us?" Two people had emerged from a direction she hadn't been staring at. Kori was at a loss for words._

_"X'hal...Mom? Dad?" Her parents hugged her close. "Am I dead?"_

_"Of course not, Korina, how absurd," he chuckled lightly. _

_"Then...what is this place?"_

_He didn't answer her, only smiled and pointed at some random direction. Karen, Rachel, Gar, Vic, Roy, Wally, Alan, Angelina, and Jenny had come, too. Kori yelped with surprise. She knew for a fact that they had been nowhere near her thirty seconds ago, and she had a view of about a half a mile all around her, since there was nothing to block her sight._

_"Where did you come from?"_

_"We just got back from the mall," Karen explained, rolling her eyes. "Remember? I told you about that?"_

_"There is no mall here! It's all..." She blinked, and as soon as her eyes opened, a mall worthy of any girl's dreams was not even fifty yards away. Maybe she WAS dreaming. That was probably why it felt weird. She pinched her arm and winced in pain. _

_"Hey, don't go hurting yourself, girl!"_

_Everyone was staring at her. __Kori backed away from them, but Richard caught her wrist. "Kori, wait. What's wrong?"_

_"This isn't possible. My parents are dead. You don't like me. And there isn't anything here. What happened to my house? The neighborhood? The school? I need to get out of here." She tried to make a run for it, but Richard held her back again._

_"Kori, give us a chance." His voice sounded so pleading, she couldn't find it in her to say no. "Please. I need you here. We all do."_

_"But where am I? What's going on? I need to know!" Kori begged._

_Richard didn't respond, only kissed her, like they had never had that messy break up. "Come on. Let's go home. See? It's right there. What do you mean, there isn't anything here?"_

_

* * *

_Richard was going through every terrifying minute in his head. As of right now, Kori was in the emergency room for the second time, and this time the doctors had nearly no hope that she would survive. And it was all his fault.

"Dick?" Babs shook him out of his trance. The girl had been waiting in the car the whole time, and hadn't known what was going on until the police car and the ambulance showed up. Dick had rode with Kori, and Babs had begged Bruce to take her along. She sat beside him on the bench outside of the waiting room, unsure of how to break the tense silence. "How...how bad is it?"

Richard shook his head. "I shouldn't've done anything...I hit Koma and the knife just flew..."

Babs put her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me everything."

He buried his face in his hands, his voice now muffled. "I saw it coming down and Kori was right there, I don't think she even knew what was happening..." He wished he could crawl in a hole and die there. "You should have seen how scared she was, right before she...it..."

"She's got a chance, Dick," Babs said firmly. "She isn't dead, and that should be indication enough that she'll be okay. Kori's pulled through before, and she can do it again."

He didn't believe her at all. He couldn't believe he was watching another loved one die. "That...that...that son of a bitch! He should be so happy he's in jail, because I would hunt him down and kill him if I could, I hope he--"

"Dick, stop! You don't know what you're saying!"

"I know _exactly_ what I'm saying, Babs, I don't care. Dying is too good for him--"

"Do you want to become just like him?" Babs asked quietly. "I don't support murder, Dick, and what Slade and Koma did was so wrong, I don't even want to think about it. Let them get what they deserve in other ways. Could you honestly live the rest of your life knowing you'd killed a man, however bad he was?"

Richard was about to say he would, but he had a feeling that Babs didn't want to hear that, and that _maybe_ he wasn't thinking rationally right now. He kept quiet, his eyes focused on Kori's room. A doctor came out. "She is comatose. Are the parents or guardians of this girl present?"

Bruce had put Galfore on the phone. The giant, wrestler-like man was in tears. Galfore told the doctor he'd be there as soon as possible, and was in the hallway in under three minutes. After an ID check, Galfore signed papers that gave the doctors permission to do anything they could to save Kori's life. Richard watched the proceedings, almost in an unconscious state. Later that day, he couldn't have told anyone exactly what happened. All he knew was that when the doctor said it was okay to see her, he was up and in the room before recieving the warning that Kori was in a vegetative state and would not respond to him. That was okay, though, because he really didn't feel like talking. He went inside and sat down, with Babs by his side, and the two waited there until visiting hours were over. He dreaded having to go to school tomorrow and tell his friends about the terrible fate that had befallen Kori.

* * *

I would like to point out (yet again) that I have not killed her off! Coughyetcough.


	15. Chapter 15: The Collapse

Thanks so much to **TerraBB4Eva, kjesStar, RavenSis, Raven of Alaska, Alien Emerald, RobStarfirexLuvr, XxNightfirexX, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, Black Raven 13, romanceluver95, jcyz, Koriand'r Grayson, lil love fan, final frost bite fantasy, ChristianAndGatorGal, so not telling, cartoonstar, cartoonfire, **and** caresse345 **for reviewing!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans or anything else mentioned below.

* * *

_Kori could never tell the time in this place, since it was always sunset. Her world, though, had changed drastically. For one thing, it began to look a lot more normal. There were houses and stores and parks and such. People were there, too, people she didn't know. But strangely, she hadn't seen Xavier or Kitten anywhere. It was almost as if...they didn't exist anymore._

_Her life, if she hadn't had this strange doubt at the back of her mind, would have been perfect. Her parents loved Richard, they were always inviting him over for dinners that ended up boosting his image. Even when he knocked down a food tray and ended up splattering the sauce all over Myan, everyone ended up laughing. Kori's mother treated him like her own son, and his father even went so far as to ask him for a 'golf outing,' which Kori later heard them saying meant 'go watch their new favorite football team without any girls being there.' This didn't mean Richard never had any time for her, quite the contrary. She was over at Wayne Manor nearly every day after school, often along with the rest of their friends._

_Galfore was there, too, with her cousins and aunt. They lived right next door, in a nice, spacious house, where the kids's laughs could be heard all around the neighborhood. Kori saw them nearly every day._

_At school, the teachers had never seemed quite so nice. Mr. Maud, their social studies teacher, had proclaimed randomly that Fridays were new British holidays, and there would be no class. In Science, Mr. Plasmus actually woke up and told them that whomever could blow something up first would win extra credit. It was messy, but hilarious. And somehow, all of Kori's friends had been switched to her classes._

_But still, amongst the bliss, there was a thorn of suspicion. How had this happened? Wasn't she upset about something? What had it been? She couldn't even remember. Her mind had fogged over, and her questions faded. She was happy. She never wanted to leave this place. Ever._

_One afternoon, Kori found herself in Wayne Manor's dining room, eating a snack and 'doing homework' with Richard. "Watch this," he said, grinning smugly. He threw up a piece of popcorn and caught it in his mouth. "Amazing, isn't it?"_

_Kory giggled. "You are astounding. I don't know _what_ I would do without a boyfriend who could juggle his food." _

_"Then be glad you met me," Richard answered, pulling her chair closer. Kori rested her head on his shoulder and sighed comfortably._

_"How?"_

_"What?"_

_She had wanted to hear a romantic story, but then realized she wasn't really sure how she met him. "How did we meet?"_

_"Remember? Gar told me there was a new girl in school, and I saw you and...it went from there." He grinned cheekily. "I think the Homecoming Dance was enough of a starting point, wasn't it?"_

_Kori sat straight, confused. "Wait...didn't you hate me?"_

_"Why would I hate you?"_

_"Becuase of..." Why DID he hate her? For as long as she had known him, Richard had always cared about her...right? "There was someone else...someone you didn't like...Babs!"_

_And a whole new set of memories coming back._

_Richard cheating on her, yelling at her, breaking up with her, getting together with the girl who'd brought about the end of their relationship. Babs and Kitten and Xavier somehow all involved in the same plot to get her away from Richard. Babs didn't exist anymore either. Richard's eyes narrowed._

_"Don't ever say that name again," he hissed at her. He was angry--no, more than angry, he was furious. He grabbed her arm. "Ever."_

_Kori cringed in surprise and fear. "I...but...Richard, you don't hate her that much! You dated her again! You're friends with her! I thought you only hated Xavier and Kitten..."_

_His grip tightened, delibrately trying to hurt her now. "Never...ever...ever remind me of them! Don't even think about them! If you do, I'll know..." He pushed her away, standing up. "And I won't be happy." He left Kori to her shock, trying to figure out what had just happened. She'd actually been...scared of him. Of Richard. Her breathing quickened. She needed to get out of this place. _

_Richard returned, carrying a plate and looking as if nothing had happened. "Hey, Kori. Alfred made something new. I don't know what it's called, but it's really good. You wanna try some?" Why was he so calm? Five seconds ago, he had seemed ready to kill someone. _

_Kill..._

_Koma. Her sister. She'd tried to kill Kori. But wait, she didn't even have a sister! Right? _

_Kori got up. "I need to go." _

_The sky outside was darkening, for some reason. Night was falling, but there was no moon, no stars. Kori hurried into her house, where her mother and father were waiting, smiling pleasantly at her over their card game. _

_"Back so soon, Kori?"_

_"Koma," Kori blurted. "Who is Koma?"_

_Her parents's expressions turned to ones of fear. "Don't talk like that, Kori. Never."_

_"Like what?" Kori asked desperately. "I just want to know who my sister is!"_

_Myan and Louanne were fading, just washing out into the color of the scenery. "Kori, you shouldn't have said anything...why would you tear your world apart? You'll have to leave..." They continued to fade, their cards and all. Her father's briefcase, her mother's prized china plates, even in the picture frame on the wall faded with them. All evidence that they had ever been there was gone._

_"Mom! Dad! No!" Kori grasped at the air where they had been, only to feel nothingness between her fingers. Tears flooded her eyes. She had lost her parents. She knew how it felt, it had happened to her before. But now, the second time, it was so much worse. _

_The bell rang. Maybe it was them. Kori rushed to the door and opened it, only to find the last people she wanted to meet. They shuffled in from the pitch-black night, sneering at her, mocking her. "Hello, you little boyfriend-stealer," Kitten (alive after all) shrieked at her, clutching Richard to her. Babs was on Richard's other side, smirking. Xavier stepped forward, blocking Kori's view of Koma and Slade. _

_"That's okay, cutie. You still have me." _

_"Get away from me!" Kori ran up the stairs to her house, her face pale with fear. Their laughs echoed behind her, they were coming up, too. She would be trapped. Maybe there was a window she could jump out of, or something. Anything to get away from the people back there. They were going to kill her. She didn't know how she knew that, but in her confused daze, that was all she was sure of._

_She sprinted into her room, locking the door behind her. It wouldn't hold them for long, but maybe it would be long enough. Her eyes scanned the room for something to help her, but it was all bare. It didn't even look like her room. There was no window, or anything. Only the door that she was holding shut, the door that they were banging on, the door that was about to fall._

_Kori was blasted to the other end of the room as three men together kicked the door open. The entire group poured in, their faces twisting in her vision until she could hardly tell who was who anymore. The only one that stood out was Richard, who had that same, furious look on his face as she'd seen earlier. "I told you, didn't I? I told you I wouldn't be happy," he growled at her. He drew his hand back and slapped her. Everyone else laughed at the tears rolling down her cheeks, and they all closed in._

_Kori's breath quickened, her fear heightening. She couldn't get out, she couldn't escape from their wrath. "I'm sorry!" she cried, protecting her head as if it were a tornado drill. She buried her face in her knees, hopeless. The world around her was fading...like she was going backwards through a tunnel...a tunnel she really didn't want to be in. "I'm sorry...just go away...please! I don't want you here!"_

_She didn't notice when the voices quieted. She wasn't sure when she calmed down. But eventually, she deemed it safe enough to look up. There was Richard, Karen, Vic, Gar, and Rachel, staring concernedly at her. "Are you okay, Kori? We just wanted to know if you wanted to get pizza with us."_

For once, Bruce hadn't forced Richard to school. He could have called in sick, he certainly looked it. But his friends had a right to know what was going on. Babs had called them all last night, but she hadn't been able to give the whole story, and he obviously hadn't really felt like picking up the many calls that he'd gotten.

"Dick!" Nine people rushed at him at seven thirty in the morning, nearly knocking him over with questions.

"Is Kori okay?"

"What happened to her?"

"How bad is it?"

"What did the doctor say?"

"It was _Koma _and_ Principal Wilson_?"

At that moment, an announcement came over the Intercom. "All students must report to an emergency assembly in the auditorium. As soon as possible, please." There was a mad rush towards the auditorium doors, with over a thousand kids excitedly murmuring about getting out of class for no reason.

"We'd better go," Dick muttered tiredly. He hadn't gotten a wink of sleep last night, worried as he was. He doubted he ever would again, if Kori didn't pull through. Everytime he dozed off, nightmares attacked him without mercy, bad enough to drive him to the edge of his sanity. And to know it was all his fault was even worse. If he hadn't ditched her for Babs...

He ignored his friends while they were sitting in the auditorium, even tuning out the Ex-Vice Principal/New Principal's words on how something serious had happened with one of the administration, and a newsletter was being sent home immediately to assure parents that the said staff member was in jail. They said nothing about Kori, or what had happened to her, or how close she was to death. It made Dick too angry to think about it.

It had been a bad idea to come today. His classes crawled by, when all he wanted was for them to be over so he could rush to the hospital and hear news of Kori. Maybe she'd woken up. Maybe she was going to be okay.

Or maybe she'd passed...without anyone there beside her...and the last thing he'd ever told her face-to-face was that he never wanted to see her again...

"Mr. Grayson, are you alright?" his English teacher asked.

"Do I look alright to you?" he hissed back at her. Immediately, he was sent to the new principal's office, ready to bite someone's head off.

Principal Blood did not look friendly, but much less threatening than Slade himself. "Mr. Grayson, am I correct?" Richard didn't answer. "My, my, what happened to _you_? Perhaps you need a little rest to get rid of that cranky attitude." The guy was kidding around, as if he'd actually win the students's good sides. It made Richard sick. And he showed it enough to earn himself a call home to Bruce.

While the principal and Bruce were talking, Richard glanced around, the untouched pictures of Slade 'turning over a new leaf' only fueling his anger. Slade had tricked everyone. And Kori's family had paid for it. Principal Blood put down the phone. "Ah...I see. Miss Anders was your girlfriend. I apologize for this unfortunate accident."

"It wasn't an accident!" Richard growled at him. "Slade wanted to murder her! Her own sister _tried_ to murder her!"

"Of course. Now, you may wait here until your guardian picks you up. Clearly, you are in no condition to be at school."

Richard didn't even argue.

Galfore was actually the one who came to pick him up. "I have been working all day," he said, "trying to pay the hospital bills. I have not visited my bumgorf either. But it is wise, Richard, not to...to panic. She will be fine." Galfore's hands tightened on the steering wheel, swerving to avoid a car his tear-filled eyes had not seen. "I am sorry," he mumbled as Richard crashed into the door.

"'S okay."

"You had better see for yourselves," the doctor told them when they reached the hospital, ushering them to Kori's room. She was still unconscious, but her face was twisted in pain. "She is coming back. Everything is looking much better. But she's suffering terribly, all day she's been like this," the doctor said quietly.

Richard pressed his hands to the glass seperating him from Kori. He wanted to be there with her, to comfort her like he had always promised he would. He rested his forehead on the glass ad tried to keep his crying silent. It wasn't fair. Kori hadn't done anything to deserve this. She'd just been in the way...

And it had always been his fault. Xavier had gone after her because he had known Richard cared about her. Babs had, at one point, tried to make her life miserable to separate her from him. And now this...Slade had just wanted leverage, and was willing to kill her entire family.

He pounded the glass with his fist. "Why can't she wake _up_?" he whispered into the window.

Idiot. Kori was the _only_ person he shouldn't have been mad at right now.

"There has been extensive damage to her brain," the doctor said, and Galfore nodded. This was what they had gone over yesterday, when he'd been too shocked to listen. "Due to the malpractice law, many of our specialists...well, they quit. They're afraid of losing their money and homes. Jump City's Hospital is suffering a severe shortage of specialists, and if this continues, she might have to be transported to a hospital elsewhere." He shrugged hopelessly. "We're doing all that we can, but there's so much we don't know, and the brain is a very complex organ. We're not sure...if she happens to wake up...what exactly will happen to her."

At least he was being straightforward.

"Oh," Richard choked out. Stupid malpractice law...if it didn't exist, would Kori have a better chance of living?

The doctor straightened. "I have a call on the third floor. You may go in, if you'd like, but please be out by the time visiting hours end. Thank you."

Richard opened the door slowly, entering the small, white room. The sight of all those machines connected to Kori made his heart ache. He sat in a chair beside her, while Galfore pulled up another one, joining him in silence. Richard grasped Kori's IV-free hand. "Hey, Kor. It's me. I..." His throat felt dry. Maybe this would be easier if she hadn't been so unnaturally pale. "I'm sorry. For everything. Please, just...just get better, okay?"

She showed no sign of response.

Galfore murmured something in Tamaranian to her, but that didn't really work either. She looked so tortured, Richard couldn't stand to watch. "I'm gonna go to Vic's. School's over, and it's not far from here. Thanks for driving me." Galfore nodded sadly, his eyes never leaving his bumgorf.

* * *

That was longer than usual...


	16. Chapter 16: The Escape

Sorry about the rushing...

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

_"Where?" Kori asked shakily._

_"Out to eat," repeated Vic. "You okay? You look like you've just seen a ghost!"_

_Kori closed her eyes. Something was completely wrong with this place. Where had her sister gone? What had happened to her parents? And Richard? And Xavier? And why did Slade matter to her anyway? Why was she so afraid of him?_

_"I...I can't. I have to...do homework."_

_"Kori, we didn't have any," Rachel remarked suspiciously._

_"Extra credit," Kori lied, pushing them out of her room and closing the door. She slumped against it, sighing. Her room was back to normal. Everything seemed perfect...yet again. What was up with this place?_

_"Kori..." Richard's voice hissed through the crack in the door, startling her. Why was he mad again? What had she done? Kori panicked, frantically locking the door and holding it closed, in case Richard tried to come in again. But, it seemed like he had no intention of doing so. "Kori, this was your only warning..."_

_He left, as far as she could tell, but that didn't make her feel any easier. He could be back at any moment with Babs or Koma or Kitten, and they hadn't seemed very friendly. _

Okay, Kori, _she told herself, _you need to get out of here. Maybe you can buy a plane ticket out of the country, so they can't find you. But Richard especially has a habit of turning up everywhere...how is he doing this?

_Her hand reached for the doorknob, but it opened on its own. "Hey, Kori," Richard greeted. "You done with whatever you had to do?"_

_"Richard! Oh...I--I mean, almost..."_

_"Need help? I wouldn't mind spending extra time with my faaavorite girlfriend," he smirked, inviting himself in. _I'd mind it_, Kori thought, dreading each second. She'd have to monitor everything she said, and maybe he wouldn't freak and hit her again. Her hand moved to her cheek, just realizing, through all the terror, that it still throbbed. _

_He noticed. "Something wrong?" he asked coldly._

_"N-no! Not at all..."_

_"Are you trying to lie to me again?"_

_Kori didn't know what to do. Everthing she said would only get him angrier. "Well...yeah. Richard, I'm scared. You hurt me, and you brought in Xavier and Kitten and Babs and Koma and Slade, and they threatened to kill me, and I still have no idea what's going on. Why...?" Kori tried, hoping that telling the truth would help solve her problem. It didn't work._

_Richard grabbed her arm, ready to throw her into a wall. "I told you! I told you never to talk about them! Ever! That's all I ask of you, in return for everything I do, and you won't even do that, you ungrateful, good-for-nothing..." He shoved her to the ground, snarling, and whipped out his cell phone. "Get over here. Now. We have business to take care of."_

_Kori had a terrible feeling she knew who he was calling._

_In seconds, Slade Wilson was at the door, a placid smile on his face and a knife in his hand. "Good evening, Miss Anders."_

_It all clicked for Kori. "You...you tried to kill me before. But...when?"_

_Richard chuckled darkly. "Don't you get it? Or are you too stupid to understand? This isn't reality, Kori. You're far too weak to survive in the real world. That's why you're here, trapped in your mind, where no one will ever find you, where no one will ever hurt you again, because you wouldn't be able to bear it," he sneered. "This is the end of the line, Kori. You're dying. And it's your choice whether you want to go happily..." The world shimmered, suddenly brighter, with a trill of birdsong and a wave of sunlight from the previously dark sky. Then it came back to focus, with Slade holding the knife to her throat. "...Or not."_

_Kori remembered, as clear as day, how this had happened before. Only, it hadn't been Slade who was so close to killing her, it had been Koma. Her own sister had been turned against her. Richard was right, she couldn't bear something like that, if it ever happened to her again._

_But was this Richard?_

_If this was her mind, if she was imagining all these things to keep herself happy and unconscious until she finally died, then this wasn't her boyfriend at all. She should have known before that Richard would never purposely harm her. _

_She needed to get out._

_Kori broke away from Slade's grasp and ran to her door. _Come on...come on...why can't I wake up? _Somehow, someway, she'd figure out how to escape..._

_"Kori, get back here!"_

_Surprisingly enough, she stopped. Her friends and family were here to keep her blissfully ignorant. Did that mean her enemies were here to--excuse the pun--open her eyes?_

_Kori turned slowly, trying not to show fear as the two men approached her and praying that this would work...or she'd be gone forever. "Give me your best shot."_

_

* * *

_"Has she gotten any better?" Richard whispered hoarsely, two days later.

The doctor shook his head sadly. "Worse..." Kori's heart had all but stopped, her brain activity down terribly low, and her face relaxed again, as if she was already...

"Richard. Dr. Harris. How is Kori?" Galore questioned, arriving not long after.

The doctor had held off telling anything to Richard, since it didn't seem like the poor boy could handle much more anyway. But, under law, he had to tell Galfore, and it wasn't his fault Richard wouldn't get out of the room. "If I'm correct, she doesn't have very much longer to live...maybe a day or two at the most."

"WHAT?" Richard yelled, shocked. The docter looked away. "Isn't there anything you can do? At all?"

"I...I'm sorry..."

Richard pressed his hands to the glass, where there would probably be permanent fingerprints from all of his visits in the past two days, watching Kori get progressively closer and closer to death. His head hurt from lack of sleep and just plain depression. Somehow, he'd known from the beginning that there was no hope. This couldn't be the end, though. She was leaving already...His shoulders started to shake as he watched Kori breathe for the last few times. It wasn't fair. Her entire _life_ hadn't been fair. She'd had a sister who hated her beyond belief, a madman who'd killed her parents and her, and Richard himself. She'd hated Ricard in her last days alive, and he was such a terrible person he had been to stupid to save her.

"I'm going home," Richard muttered suddenly. He was angry. Angry at Slade and Koma, for killing her. Angry at himself, for hating her in her last days. And he was even angry at her, for not being able to hold on or maybe even _wake up._ And now he'd never see her smile again, or hear her laugh, or...or anything...ever.

"Richard? I will take you. You are in no condition--" Galfore whispered. The old man's face had drained of any color, and he'd taken to leaning on the wall when the doctor uttered that statement. Still, somehow, he was holding together better than a violently shaking Richard.

"I'm fine," the teen muttered back stubbornly.

"Please. There are things we must talk about." It was final. And Richard didn't feel like arguing much, anyway.

The walk to the car seemed so much longer than usual. The hallways swam in his vision, transforming into meaningless blurs. Richard blinked hard, trying to keep himself focused. He couldn't break down, now. He had to make it to the car, at least. But he didn't think it was possible. Misery was overwhelming him, just like it had all those years ago when he'd lost two other people he'd loved...

"Richard...Korina loved you very much. I wish for you to know this. She--used to--talk about you so much, and she was always so happy with you. I was sure, even though you two fought, you would always remian together--or at least always remain great friends. It is natural, for teenagers to fight, yes? Everyone is so insecure at that age...but Korina..." Galfore choked up, and tears rolled down his cheeks. The scene would have been weird to the point of hilarity, if the situation hadn't been so dire. It was like watching a pro-wrestler cry.

The receptionist looked up. "Are you Mr. Galfore Anders?"

Galfore was far too busy to answer, so Richard answered for him, though shakily, "He is."

"There was just a call put through for you. Your niece, she..." The lady looked down at the note she'd made. "She's awake."

Richard literally stopped breathing. He didn't want to believe it. She had to be joking. If he believed her, his world would come crashing down again when he found out it was all a lie...

"She woke up...but there's something wrong with her. Dr. Harris didn't tell me what, but he was very worried. You need to be down there right away."

With newfound strength, Richard yanked Galfore's arm and ran.

* * *

I'm sorry, I'm just so frustrated...whenever I have to write a depressing chapter, I'm happy, and whenever I have to write an upbeat chapter, I'm sad. And then the sad chapters always turn out happy and the happy chapters always turn out sad and it is a very confusing circle.

Next chapter...you'll have to excuse me (like, a lot) because I am not a doctor. I have nothing past an eighth grade knowledge and a strange imagination of what happens to you when your brain gets cut into unintentionally. And it is a VERY strange imagination...but yeah, it's going to get kind of weird, and honestly, I don't understand much of it myself, but I figured that...well, I won't give any hints.

Sorry again that this chapter was so rushed, I couldn't wait to get to the 'she's awake!' part.

Can anyone guess what's going to happen to her?


	17. Chapter 17: The Problem

Thank you to **XxNightfirexX, BerryDrops, jcyz, tennisgal456, Koriand'r Grayson, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, ChristianAndGatorGal, Alien Emerald, final frost bite fantasy, kjesStar, cuteknight101, cartoonstar, cartoonfire, sam5antha, RavenSis, Raven of Alaska, RobinxStarfireLuvr, caresse345, TerraBB4eva, lil love fan **and **Sta-R-obin **for reviewing the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

Kori felt like she'd been drowning, but jolted out of the water at the last minute. She'd been in a coma, her mind had let her know that. But how long had she been under? It was like she'd fallen into a deep sleep, almost detached from her body, and everything looked a little blurry. Colored dots swam in front of her vision, but she could still tell she was in a white room. She recognized the room, similar to the one from all those days ago when she'd first gotten attacked. The hospital.

A man was standing over her, probably a doctor. He yelled an order at one nurse, but Kori had no idea what he'd said. The doctor stood over her again, and started talking to her...but he wasn't making any sense. Why was he speaking gibberish?

"_I'm sorry, but could you tell me what's going on? What happened to me?" _she asked him. The doctor stared strangely at her. "_Can. You. Please. Tell. Me. What. Is. Going. On,"_ she recited, slower. The doctor still said nothing to her, instead calling over a nurse and whispered something in her ear. He turned back to Kori and held up two fingers in front of her face. "_I'm perfectly fine! Two! Can you please answer my question now? Where is my sister? My uncle? My principal? My boyf--"_

Suddenly a couple of very familiar faces burst into the room, tagged by a team of desperate nurses trying to stop the two-man stampede, although one of the men was big enough to be counted as five. "Kori! HowareyouareyouokayohX'halI'msogladtoseeyouawakewhatdidthedoctorssayhowareyoufeeling!" they exclaimed at the same time. She waited until they had calmed down to rephrase their questions.

"KorinaX'halIamsorelievedyouhadnoideahowworriedIwaswhentheysaidyouwouldneverwake!" her uncle Galfore babbled.

"Idon'tevencarewho'suptherethankwhoevertheheckitisyou'reokayIthoughtI'dnever..." Richard stuttered. Kori knew they were worried, but they could've been worried about the forecast of rain coming up on Thursday for all she could make out.

"_What happened? Where is Koma? And Slade?" _she asked them. They gaped at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"_Korina? Can you understand me?" _Galfore asked her, enunciating each word carefully.

_"Of course I can, Galfore. Why wouldn't I? Why does the doctor think there is something wrong with me? I'm fine, as far as I know. Nothing hurts and I can move everything. I can see and hear. Why does everyone so worried?"_

Galfore rested a hand on her shoulder. _"Korina, you are not fine. Tell me what you hear coming out of your mouth right now."_

_"Words?"_ Kori guessed, raising an eyebrow.

"_What kind of words?"_

_"Normal ones?"_

_"Try again, my child."_

Kori frowned. He never called her 'my child.' It was always 'my bumgorf.' Of course, Kori knew it roughly translated into 'my child,' but why would Galfore go completely English all of a sudden?

"_Wait, Galfore...why doesn't anyone make sense? Why can't I understand the doctor? Or Richard? Or the nurses?"_

_"They are speaking perfectly plain English, Korina. You, however, seem to have forgotten it." _Kori now mirrored Richard's shocked and confused stare.

"_What? But I don't know any other way to talk! This IS English, isn't it? I..." _She searched her brain for a hint of any other way to say what she wanted to say, but it all came out in Tamaranian. Why hadn't she recognized it? Why couldn't she talk properly? Would it wear off? Was she just confused?

"_I will try to help, my child. Wait." _Galfore got up, and Kori could finally see past him to Richard, who was waiting with baited breath.

"_Richard..." _she murmured, hoping he would understand. He did, rushing to her side as Galfore explained the situation to the doctors. She caught the words 'Tamaranian' and 'Kori' a few times, but no more.

Richard didn't even try saying anything, but she could sense his turmoil. Her questions were still unanswered, but she had a feeling that there was nothing to be afraid of, anymore. At least, not while Richard was there. For the moment, even with the confusion, she was safe.

* * *

"Kori! How are you? Are you okay? What did the doctors say?" Richard begged to know on entering the room. Kori was sitting quite calmly on her hospital bed, looking as good as new, if not slightly confused. She didn't answer, just stared at him. Galfore was asking questions, too, but Kori just blinked. A horrible thought occured to Richard: was she deaf?

"She began speaking gibberish," the doctor told them. "I'm not sure if she's insane or incapable of forming words, I haven't had time to run any tests. I only wanted you to know she was up." The guy was just as insistant on their leaving as the rest of the nurses who'd followed them down. Technically, they weren't allowed to be there. Richard didn't care.

Out of the blue, Kori began spewing nonsense. They weren't even mixed up words, just sounds that didn't seem like they were supposed to go together. Galfore's eyes widened, and he started to speak the same way. The answer dawned on Richard: it wasn't nonsense, it was a different language.

Of course he knew that Kori was no native to America. Just by looking at her, anyone could tell. But for all the time he'd spent around her, she'd never actually spoken like this, it had always been plain English. Galfore had, a few times, but Richard could always make sense of what he was saying by using it in context. Now, though, it was completely impossible to understand what the two were saying, though Richard was pretty sure it had to do with Kori's condition. Whatever that was.

Galfore turned away from Kori and explained, "There is nothing wrong with her sanity, as far as I know. Kori is speaking in Tamaranian, the language she knew as a young girl. I cannot imagine why, but she cannot revert back to English..."

She was staring helplessly at him. Then she murmured his name, just once, but he understood.

_Thank goodness she's okay, that this is all that's wrong with her so far._

_What if she can't ever talk to me again?_

_So? It's better than her not being able to talk at all._

_How'll she go to school? What am I gonna tell everyone else?_

Kori grabbed his hand. He knew she was willing him to make sense of more than his name, but he couldn't. "Kori..." At least she could comprehend that. He drew her into an awkward hug, what with the random tubes and wires in their way, but it didn't make a difference to him. She was lucky to be alive, and he was lucky she hadn't died. He felt her lips on his cheek and pulled away to smile at her, his first genuine smile in ages. Maybe they _could_ get along without words. Maybe words weren't needed between the two of them. And if they were, well, he could just teach it to her.

That actually wasn't such a crazy notion..._With Galfore's help, it just might work._

"Galfore, I've got an idea..."

* * *

Schadenfreude--enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others.

I miss my daily dose of schadenfreude. Dick's happy. NOW what do I do...?


	18. Chapter 18: The Start

Sorry for not updating!

Thank you to **BerryDrops, RavenSis, cartoonstar, cartoonfire, kjesStar, caresse345, TerraBB4Eva, lil love fan, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, tennisgal456, cuteknight101, Raven of Alaska, final frost bite fantasy, so not telling, milkshakelvr, SoccerChickaCatia, jcyz, RobinxStarfireLuvr, Koriand'r Grayson, ChristianAndGatorGal, katara12171, XxNightfirexX, waves2622, **and **Somewhere In Time** for reviewing the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans

* * *

Kori buried herself under her covers, bored beyond belief, and she'd only been awake for a day. She was getting out today, since she seemed to be (mostly) in working order. She needed to visit a speech therapist that day, though. Her doctor was very doubtful that she would ever learn to speak English again, with an injury so bad, but it was worth a try.

Yes! Three o'clock!

"Kori." It was Richard, saying the only word she could recognize, since it was a name. He smiled at her and sat down next to her bed. Kori beamed back, grateful for the company, however difficult to communicate with.

"Galfore?" she asked him. Richard shook his head, a sign Kori took as 'he's still at work.' She struggled to find something to say, but nothing came up for him to understand.

"Hey..." He caught her attention, nodding to the door. Her friends filed in, greeting her with happiness that almost matched her own.

"KorigirlhowareyouohmyGodI'msogladyou'reokay!" Karen squealed.

"Shecan'tunderstandyou," Richard said.

For the moment, Kori didn't mind that she had no idea what they were saying, it was good to see them again. The silence in the room was quickly dispelled, with nearly a dozen people crammed in. Even Rachel seemed ready to soften up enough to smile. Everyone was so glad for her...

...But she wished she could understand just _how_ glad. What if she never spoke to them again? There was only so long they could get along without speaking to each other at all. Richard seemed to notice her discomfort and opened his mouth to say something, but his phone began to vibrate. He flipped it open and gave it to her.

"_Korina? How are you feeling?" _Galfore asked her.

_"I'm doing good, Galfore. How about you?"_

_"Fine. The outcome of Koma and Slade's trial has been decided, Korina."_

_"Oh..." _Kori didn't know if she wanted to hear what was happening to her sister or not. Koma had tried to kill her, but they were still sisters. Obviously, Koma didn't think along those lines, but Kori didn't want to hear it if her sister's life was about to be ruined.

"_Koma and Slade both have been sentenced to life in jail," _Galfore told her grimly. He'd never actually said it out loud, but Kori could tell he had been expecting something like this. Koma had always been spiteful and eager to live on the other side of the law, but Kori thought she would grow out of it. She never believed it would come to this. "_It is terrible news, and I apologize for having to give it to you on your first day awake, but at least everyone is safe now."_

_"I...I guess so." _There was nothing she could do about it. Unless Koma changed, there was nothing _anyone_ could do for her. Richard looked worried, but she mouthed 'Koma' at him and he nodded. His hand entwined with hers.

_"Are there others with you? I hear voices."_

_"Yeah. It's just...weird..." _She cast a nervous glance all around the room, as if they knew she was talking about them. _"There's nothing for us to say to each other. I don't know what to do, I can't just sit here and look stupid."_

_"It is alright, Korina." _She heard Galfore shuffling papers in the background. "_I must go, I am coming to pick you up. But knowing you and Richard, you will be able to get along fine." _

He hung up before Kori could choke out, "_No, I was talking about my friends!" _She flipped the phone closed and handed it back, shrugging listlessly.

A nurse popped her head in. "IsMissAnders'sridehereit'stimeforhertoleave..." She looked rather alarmed at the amount of people in the room. "Everybodywhoisnotfamilyneedstoleavenowplease!"

"WeweregoingtobringKorihome," Vic told her.

"Allofyou?"

"Yes," Richard stated with a nod of his head. Kori committed that to memory. "Yes" means _"yes." _If she was going to relearn English, she might as well start now.

The nurse cast a very dirty look in Richard's direction. "Ohit'syoudon'tthinkI'veforgottenwhatyoutriedtodotothispoorgirlinahospitalbednolessyou'dbetterwatchyourselfbuddy." Her friends started to snicker uncontrollably, and the nurse silenced them with a look. "Icouldreportthatunderharrassmentthepoorgirlwascryingyou'dbetterkeepaneyeonthisone."

"Yesma'am," they chorused. The nurse left behind a very red Richard with a satisfied smirk on her face. Kori pulled at his sleeve, trying to figure out what was going on, but Richard shook her off.

"SheeshRichdidn'tthinkyou--" Vic started, but Richard cut him off.

"Shutup." Vic was silenced immediately, although still looking very amused. Another word that Kori resolved to remember, although it sounded harsh and probably wouldn't help her if she was trying to get Richard to talk, not be quiet.

Galfore came a few minutes later, greeting all of her friends and smiling at her. "_Come, Korina. It is time to go home."_

_

* * *

_Richard helped Kori out of the hospital bed to get in Galfore's car. She hadn't stood up in days, let alone walked. Her legs wobbled the minute she put weight on them, but Richard was supporting her in a second, all the way down to the parking lot. Galfore took care of signing her out.

The drive home in Galfore's car was silent compared to the noise Vic's car was making next to them. Roy, Gar, Alan, and Wally did not seem to want to shut up. The radio was blasting as loud as it could go, and Vic was singing along at the top of his lungs. Richard felt sorry for the girls in that car.

Galfore cast an amused glance to his side and at the road in front of him, shaking his head amusedly. He began to speak to Kori in Tamaranian, and Dick followed the conversation as best he could, but was lost with the first word. He laid back and relaxed. Kori was pretty much okay. Every time he remembered that, the relief that swept through him was like a tornado (well, a welcome one.) And not only that, but she DIDN'T hate him. He'd slept like a baby last night, and even his teachers had commented that he wasn't so irritable today.

Poor Kori was trying to read the billboards distressedly, but the car was probably going too fast for her to make out more than blurs on the sign. Richard thought for a minute and then reached into his backpack, pulling out a pen and a sheet of paper. "Kori," he called to her. She turned away from the window and stared at him inquisitively. Richard wrote K-O-R-I on the blank piece of paper. "Kay," he sounded out, pointing to the letter. "Oh. Are. Eye."

"Kori," she figured out immediately. Richard grinned. Maybe this _would_ work.

G-A-L-F-O-R-E. "Gee. Ay. Ell. Eff. Oh. Are. Ee."

"Galfore."

A-N-D-E-R-S. "Ay. En. Dee. Ee. Are. Ess."

"Anders."

Deciding to try adding in a twist, he grabbed a few letters from the names and mixed them around. D-O-G. It finally struck him how strange this was, to be teaching his eighteen-year-old girlfriend--ah, ex-girlfriend--elementary phonics, reading, and writing. Richard shook it off. "Dee. Oh. Gee."

Kori struggled with it, since it wasn't a words she was familiar with. Richard shook his head after he heard something like _d'gehro_, and she tried again. As if on cue, Galfore stopped at a traffic light, and he heard barking. She got the hint when he pointed out the window at a furry brown creature. Her forehead wrinkled as she tried to remember. "Doguh."

Close enough. Richard let it rest, at least until they got back to the house, while Kori excitedly recognizing letters from the mini-lesson he'd just given her. The words made no sense to her, of course, but they'd get past that eventually.

"We have arrived. I believe your friends have been held up, but they will come shortly. You know," Galfore said, smiling curiously at Richard. "I do not think you will need my help at all. Korina has never been a bad student, and I do not think you will make a bad teacher, yourself."

"Hey, y'all! We're back! _Finally_."

"Hey! When you gotta go, you gotta go!"

"Shut up, Gar."

"Next time, let's leave him."

"You wouldn't mind, would you, Rachel?"

Richard grinned and held open the door for Kori, who stepped out and gratefully took in a breath of fresh, sharp winter air. He felt sorry for her, cooped up in a hospital for days. And to think, she could've lost everything...the baby blue sky, the glittering snow, the laughs, and of course, Gar and Vic's arguments. It really made him appreciate everything so much more.

"Come on, you guys, let's get Kori inside. She's got a language to relearn!" Vic cried, obviously overwhelmed with the task of teaching it to her.

"Or maybe," Richard suggested, hanging his jacket around Kori's shoulders. "We can just stay out here."

* * *

There are only ten more days of school for me. Not even. !! High school looks scary.


	19. Chapter 19: The Moment

Thank you to **tennisgal456, BerryDrops, cartoonfire, cartoonstar, Koriand'r Grayson, ChristianAndGatorGal, so not telling, TerraBB4Eva, caresse345, SuPeR HyPeR chick 101, jcyz, Alien Emerald, lil love fan, Raven of Alaska, XxNightfirexX, katara12171, kjesStar, **and **final frost bite fantasy **for the reviews!

Heheh, thanks for all the high school advice. I'm just not a very direction-y person, and I am guarenteed to get lost within my first five minutes there. The building has to be as big as ten of my middle schools!

Disclaimer: I don't own the Teen Titans.

* * *

Kori hated how depressed she was getting because of this, but she'd never been so frustrated. She couldn't speak at all and she was sure she was disappointing Richard, with how slowly she was progressing, but thank X'hal he never showed the slightest hint of it. He couldn't actually _enjoy_ sitting there as she painstakingly made her way through first grade material, could he? At this rate, it would take her another twelve years of schooling just to catch up. And she'd almost been done, too.

Her "speech impediment," as Galfore had mildly dubbed it, was distancing her from her friends. She couldn't understand them at all. The only people she could talk to were her family, but now even Suni's speech was indecipherable because she only spoke English.

Galfore didn't bring any news to lighten her up. Richard couldn't come afterschool, apparently. "_Did he say why?"_

Galfore didn't answer.

_"Galfore!"_

_"...He said he wished to go somewhere with Miss Gordon,"_ her guardian told her bluntly. "_And I wish to take my children out today. As far as we know, you are safe. If you wish to come with us, you may, only if you are not feeling mopey. If you are, then you will remain home. End of story. You are not yourself, Korina, and we do not know how to take it. If you will speak your mind and tell us what is wrong, we will help you. But we are not mind readers." _Galfore left, probably to Chuck E. Cheese's or something like that, leaving Kori more depressed than before.

How was that fair? She _knew_ she wasn't acting as happily as she normally would have, but she'd nearly gotten killed! Her sister was in jail! She couldn't talk to any of her friends! And now _this_. She should have known Richard would just have gotten back together with Babs. If Kori's almost-death couldn't bring them back together, then nothing could. "End of story," like Galfore said.

She wanted to laugh at herself. Then maybe cry herself out of tears. Maybe if she _could_ speak her mind, she would. Had Galfore ever thought about that?

Her new solution to every problem: sleep it off. She was definitely tired enough to.

"Kori...Kori..."

"_No. Go away_," she muttered.

"Kori..." Someone was shaking her. There was someone in the house. It wasn't Galfore. Kori sat up with a shriek, socking whoever it was right in the face. Someone else, a girl, gasped. Kori covered her mouth in horror as Babs tried to assess the damage she'd done to Richard's jaw.

"Ouch," Richard groaned.

"_I'm so sorry! I never meant--I thought--" _It didn't matter, he couldn't understand her anyway. Babs glared at her, and she shrank back, feeling inferior all of a sudden.

Richard rubbed his wound and tried to work his mouth. Deciding it didn't hurt that much, he grinned sadly at her. "Nicearm."

"Shecan'tunderstandyouremember?" Babs told him.

"Iknow."

Kori refused to look at either of them until Richard gently pulled her up, giving an understanding smile. After all she had been through, of course she was nervous about waking up to an unfamiliar voice. Kori was grateful for it, but wished Babs would get out of the way. Richard tugged at her arm, motioning to the foyer. He obviously had something for her, and was trying to tell her what it was. Needless to say, it didn't really work.

He dropped her arm and went to get "it" himself. Babs stepped in front of her. "Listen, Idon'tcarewhatyou'vedramaqueenedup, andIdon'tcarewhetherornotyouunderstandme, butgetthis:youhurtDickagainandI'llmakesureyouwishthatSladewasinmyplaceinstead, cuzhe'dbealotnicerthanI'mplanningtobe." Kori had no idea what she'd said, but could make out that it was some kind of threat. Kori growled and pushed her away, just as Richard walked through the door.

"Kori?" He was angry. "Whatdoyouthinkyou'redoing?"

"_She is being a...a..._clorbagvarblenelk!" Kori tried desperately, but he couldn't understand, and he was still angry with her. "_Tell him what you said!_" she yelled at Babs, who backed away as if Kori were insane.

"Stopit, Kori!"

She'd had it. Now she was getting blamed for _Babs_ threatening her, how did that make any sense? She bit back a cry of rage and stormed into her room, slamming the door. Even if she could speak, Richard would probably stick up for his girlfriend anyway. He could pound on her door as much as he wanted, she didn't care. Maybe when she was less annoyed, less frustrated, and less disheartened...which could take a couple of days. Hopefully he'd be gone by then.

* * *

Richard backed away from the door and groaned in frustration. "What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything!"

"I'm so sure."

"Dick, you can't just blame me everytime that girl goes berserk--you said it yourself, she's impossible! I can't believe she still hates me! I just told her that I didn't want her hurting you again, and she shoves me. I--"

"Babs, how _many_ times do I have to tell you that she can't understand English? She didn't know what you were saying! It could've meant anything from you, and of course she doesn't like you, you're the girl who broke us up last year and..." He ran his hand through his hair. "Just lay off."

"Your opinions change really fast, Dick," Babs replied coldly. "I thought _I_ was the good guy here. At least I was, up until Slade decided to kill her."

"Just shut up, Babs, you don't understand."

"Yeah, okay, Dick. Thanks for paying back the favor of me hanging out with you when no one else would!"

"Yeah, because you made me break up with my girlfriend, who my friends happened to _like_!"

"That was not all me! You cheated on her!"

"You would know, right?" Richard shot back. Babs quieted immediately, ashamed.

"Dick, we've been over this, I made a mistake! And I thought you wanted me back, I never meant to make you cheat--"

"Well, I don't want you back. I have Kori. Or at least, I _had_ Kori, until you came along."

Babs wisely said nothing else, while Richard continued begging Kori to come out. "I...I think I'll just catch another ride home."

"Sounds good."

Richard waited until Babs had gone to stop the knocking. He couldn't hear anything from the other end, and assumed Kori was just steaming. At least she wasn't depressed...he hoped. How did he always manage to upset her? Why had he been yelling at her in the first place? He didn't know what to do besides leave a note for Galfore on top of Kori's present: a stack of English books for her to study from. She'd just have to get them later.

"Kori...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell." There was no answer. Richard crushed the feeling of dread he'd been experiencing for the past couple of months, whenever Kori didn't answer him. She was safe now, she was just angry.

But...just to make sure...he grabbed a paperclip from Galfore's office and picked the lock on her door, swinging it open after hearing it click. Sure enough, Kori was there, eyes blazing with anger. "I'm sorry...you weren't answering me...I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Of course, she was still angry, having no idea what he was trying to tell her. She pointed at the door, but he had no intention of leaving.

"Please, Kori. I don't want us to fight again," he pleaded. Kori stared at him distrustfully, but let her guard down a little. "I'm sorry about Babs. I don't know what happened, but I shouldn't've yelled." It looked like she got the gist of his meaning. At least, when he'd mentioned Babs, she'd stiffened, and the tone of his voice maybe tipped her off that he was apologetic about what ever actions his other ex had caused. Tentatively, he reached for her, drawing her into his embrace. She didn't resist, but she didn't look too happy about it either. "I know this is hard for you, Kor, and I'm sorry..."

She murmured something in Tamaranian. Her arms snaked around his neck and he held her there, closer than she'd ever been since their break up. "I'm sorry about that, too," he told her. "I'm sorry about what happened with Babs, and I'm sorry about making you miserable, and I'm sorry about not being there in time to stop you from getting hurt, and--"

Kori pressed her finger to his lips, giggling at the rambling she probably knew he was doing. She settled back on to his shoulder, and they swayed together, perfectly in time. _Speak without words, dance without music. Maybe we can figure out how to eat without food, too._

Richard spun her out, hanging on to her by her hand, and then spinning her back into his arms. Kori laughed, her eyes sparkling as he went for a lift. He let her hang there for a minute and brought her down slowly, resting his forehead against hers. "I love you."

Kori didn't pull away this time as he kissed her, and he reveled in the feeling of having her together with him again. After all they'd been through, finally, there was only one thing that could have made this moment any more perfect.

"I love you, too," Kori told him. And it took Richard a full five minutes to realize he'd understood exactly what she'd said.

* * *

Hehe I'm gonna attempt to explain what just happened next chapter, but I'm tired now. So I hope everyone's happy at least, because they just got back together! Yay them :)

And I am NOT trying to bash Babs, this is all for a reason...


	20. Chapter 20: Just The Beginning

The last chapter!! I am SO sorry for being MIA (haha...no pun intended) the last few weeks. Like I said on my profile, I've been insanely busy. My updates'll be very, very slow now. Until summer is over. But right now...the end!

Thanks to **kjesStar, ChristianAndGatorGal, so not telling, CakesNCrayons, milkshakelvr, BerryDrops, Somewhere In Time, Lexanna Fable, cartoonstar, jcyz Nightstar Grayson, katara12171, tennisgal456, SwishingWindstar, lil love fan, cartoonfire, Raven of Alaska, Koriand'r Grayson, WeepingDeathAngel, SoccerChickaCatia, TerraBB4Eva, fionagurls1301, caresse345, **and **skye668 **for reviewing the last chapter!

To **JK**: I'm sorry, but it's ending...but thanks for reviewing! :)

And to **no name found**: I'm really glad you liked it! Uh...it has the third largest city in the U.S.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

* * *

"It's a miracle," the doctor declared after 'extensive' testing. "A doggone miracle. Her brain was healing, but...something must have happened, something to jolt this process back to life..." Richard whistled innocently. "Of course, you're English may never be perfect again, Miss Anders, but it's going to be pretty darn close."

"I...thank you," Kori told him, the words sounding familiar but not familiar...it was strange. "May I go home now?"

"Of course. Mr. Anders, as her guardian, there are a few things you have to sign..."

Galfore was nearly crying with joy. _He_ didn't know what had happened either, really, or his overprotective side might have come back. Kori decided it was best for him to remain blissfully ignorant, at least until he walked in on the two of them, which was inevitable. She beamed at Richard and helped him out of his chair.

"Whaddya say we go grab something to eat and celebrate?"

"Oh yes! Suni will most definitely enjoy the new place. What is it? The new Thai restaurant," Galfore added enthusiastically. Richard frowned for a minute, but then shrugged.

"Sure..." He leaned in to Kori. "Can we maybe get away later?"

"Yes. Perhaps...at least, as soon as Suni has finished telling me about the week that I have missed, which could take a week itself." Richard mock-groaned before pulling her into a brief hug.

"Okay then. Swing by later, alright? Have fun." He pecked her on the lips, waved goodbye to Galfore, and left.

"Korina, where would you like to go? It is your special day."

She smiled, picking up one of her tiny cousins with ease. "Where would everyone _else_ wish to go? I only want for something that is not hospital food!"

She was okay, Richard _did_ love her, and life was perfect. Well, mostly...

"Eurrrgh!" They were sitting on a picnic table outside a restaurant, which was quite exciting for the cousins. One of the three girls threw a handful of her dessert at a passing bird, shrieking happily. Of course, it didn't hit the bird, but a waitress near them wasn't so lucky. The Anders family was kicked off the premises immediately.

"Well, at least we have finished eating..." Kori put in optimistically. Galfore wiped off the food from his youngest daughter's face, sighing.

"Of course. Let us go home, we have had enough excitement for one day." Finally, her minute to get away...

Kori detangled herself from her family and walked to her boyfriend's, enjoying the fresh air after her long episode in the hospital. She leaned against a tree, taking a deep breath. Her cell phone rang. "Hello?"

"Hey Kor."

"Good morning, Richard." She heard him chuckle softly. Kori smiled. She could almost imagine Richard prancing around his entire house, getting on Bruce's nerves, trying to wipe a goofy grin off his face while he got told off. He'd seemed so happy after she began talking to him again, after they'd gotten back together. "I am on my way, currently."

"Don't worry about it. Tell me where you are, I'll come and pick you up. I wanna go somewhere special today."

"At the park."

Kori waited for a few minutes for Richard to get there and then hopped on his motorcycle. "How are you?"

"I am doing wonderfully. And yourself?" He pecked her on the cheek.

"Never been better. Do you want to close your eyes or do I have to blindfold you?"

"Richard..."

"I'm kidding. C'mon, how about meeting everybody at the movies?"

Kori giggled. "As long as there are no documentaries to watch."

"Heh, yeah. Got it."

She wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back. She'd missed these exhilarating motorcycle rides with him. It ended all to soon when he parked in the theater's parking lot. Richard chivalrously helped her off pulling her close to him as they walked up to get their tickets. Kori sure didn't mind, but she waited, exasperated, while her friends finished their round of jibes and ribs.

"Gosh, I've missed making fun of you guys," Roy said, wiping a tear out of his eye after Wally's turn at the two.

Richard rolled his eyes at them. "Now that you're done, we're gonna be--oh, hey Babs."

Kori bit her lip as the said redhead made her appearance. "What's up, everybody? Glad to see you're okay again, Kori," she added stiffly.

"I thank you." Babs wrinkled her nose at Kori's accent, but quickly changed it to a strained smile.

"Hey, we're all going inside to get food. Can you two wait out here until Jenny comes? She's caught up at her job," Richard asked. Kori resisted the urge to glare at him while everyone shuffled indoors awkwardly.

"So..." Kori began.

"Yeah..."

"..."

"..."

"Why?" Kori asked.

"What?"

"Why did you...why did you wish to split Richard and myself apart?"

Babs frowned. "It wasn't all my fault you know, he said it was coming anyway!" she argued. Kori stared at her disbelivingly. "He did, I'm not kidding. You know you two were rocky, and heck, if being around me for a week was enough to break you up, don't you see that there was a hole there?"

"Babs..."

"Okay, maybe I did push you guys over the edge. But I liked Dick, Kori. Don't tell me you wouldn't have done the same thing." Kori raised an eyebrow.

"Then why would you cheat on him? You broke his heart."

Babs scowled. "I don't need this."

"He wishes for us to talk it out."

"Well, seeing as I'm not his girlfriend, I don't have to listen to him, now do I?"

"But you are his friend. And as his friend or his girlfriend, whichever you wish to be, it would not do if we did not get along. He should not be forced to pick sides." Babs was quiet for a second. "If you truly think he and I will not work out, then you merely need to wait your turn, yes?"

"I don't like to see him with someone who doesn't deserve to be with him."

"And you do? Babs, you ended the relationship the first time!"

"That was a mistake! Dick and I have gone over this, and he's perfectly fine with it now."

"I refuse to listen to that, it was what split us up in the beginning. Please, Babs, for Dick?"

Kori could see her contemplating how long this was going to last. "Fine. For Dick. Here's your friend. Let's go in." Kori sighed as Babs walked away.

"Hello, Jenny. How was work?" she asked, forgetting the incident and smiling.

"Hey, Kori. It's so good to hear you talking again! It was fine, just a bit rough, being a newbie and all. How are you? Dizzy at all? Feeling faint?"

"I am fine, but dearly wishing for movie popcorn..."

The two walked in, with Kori keeping up the conversation so Jenny could get used to her new way of speaking. Babs was watching previews next to Richard when they arrived, with an empty space on his other side. Jenny left to sit with Wally. "Hello."

"Hey, Kor." Richard grinned at her, patting the seat next to him. "I made Gar move. He's stuck next to some rocker chick...scares the crap out of him."

"I thought I had heard him scream on the way in..."

Richard laughed, scooting her as close as possible with the arm of the chair in the way. "Then again, maybe I shouldn't've...we only need on chair..." He brought her in for a kiss, but Kori was uncomfortably aware of Babs glaring at them.

"Richard...the movie..."

"I'm not interested in the movie..."

And soon enough, Kori wasn't, either.

* * *

If he could be any happier, he'd probably blow up.

"Richard, where are we going?"

"Just thought someone would want to see you all better again." Kori tensed. "Not Babs. Didn't work out with her, did it?"

"Oh no, it went wonderfully. I think we have truly begun an understand--"

"Kori."

"She wishes for you back."

Richard sighed, rubbing Kori's back and letting her cuddle deeper into his embrace. "And you know I'm not going to leave you again. For anyone. Let's go, before it gets dark." He hopped on his motorcycle and Kori got on behind him. "Now can I blindfold you? I've been waiting to do that forever..."

"Very well..." He turned around and slipped his sunglasses on her. "Richard, this is not a blindfold!"

"Close enough. I don't have one on me. Maybe we can stop by Wayne Manor later before I take you to dinner and get one. But leave those on for now, you look hot in them."

Kori blushed and buried her face in his back while Richard laughed at her, finally exiting the parking lot. They drove for a few minutes in silence, until they stopped in front of the graveyard. "My parents...I have not visited them in..."

"Too long." Richard helped her down again. "You okay?"

"Yes." She shuffled in. When was the last time he'd come here with her? So long ago...she wove her hand into his and gripped it firmly.

"I'm not going anywhere, Kori, you don't have to break my arm," he joked softly. She released it a tiny bit, shrugging apologetically. Richard pulled her into his embrace. "Come on."

They stopped in front of the Anders's grave. Kori rested her forehead on her boyfriend's shoulder. "Richard?"

"Hmm?"

"Did you truly mean what you said? That you would not...that nothing would ever come between us anymore?"

"Of course not, Kori." He cupped her chin, forcing her to look at him. "Why would you think anything different?"

"I do not know. I...I tend to be negative when I am here," she explained, smiling sadly.

Richard hugged her tightly. "Hey. I love you, you know that." She sighed, still disbelieving. He chuckled at her. "What would I do without you? There isn't a better kisser out there, I bet..." he teased. "And I'm pretty sure _no one _has that accent...it's cute."

"Richard..." she giggled.

"Don't tell me you don't enjoy the compliments."

"I was not going to. I wished to do something else instead, but if you'd rather I argue with you..."

"No, that's fine, really." Kori pressed her lips to his.

He broke apart for a single second. "I promise I'll be here for you, Kori. No matter what happens. Believe me."

"I do..."

* * *

"I do..."

They leaned in for the kiss. "Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Richard Grayson!"

Most of the people at the gigantic wedding Bruce had planned clapped politely, with the exception of the ten or so people up front who were cheering like mad. Kori and Richard could hear Gar's girly scream and Vic whooping happily over all else, but they were sure everyone else was at a very similar decibal level.

"I love you, Kori," Richard repeated.

"I love you, too," Kori said happily, jumping into his waiting arms so he could carry her to their limo.

"Forget the reception, let's go to Hawaii right now," Richard suggested, kissing her jaw.

"Richard..."

"Kidding." They struggled with her huge wedding dress for a second, trying to fit it all through the door. Richard sat down hastily, accidentally stepping on her skirt a few times.

"Richard, that is my lap!"

"Oops." He didn't seem like he would be moving anytime soon. Kori pushed him off, and he landed safely on several folds of her dress. "Feisty much, Kori? Save it for the honeymoon!"

"Ri_chard_!"

"You are not arguing already, I hope?" Alfred called from the front. Richard paled.

"He didn't hear all of that, did he?"

"I did," Alfred assured them. "But I'll gladly turn up the radio and ignore you." A little black screen came up from behind the driver's seat, but not before they heard Alfred turn up a classical music radio station. Of course.

"Now...as I was saying..." Richard started, scooting closer to her.

"I thought you wished to wait until the--"

"Forget about that, Mrs. Grayson..."

* * *

Finally, I'm done!! Phew...how many chapters now? Almost seventy? Holy cow...NEVER going to try and beat that.

I think I'm going to cry...I put off the end...but it came anyway...(sniff). Maybe I'll have a one-shot spinoff sometime. No promises :)

Thanks again for all of your reviews!

-HPFan1994


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